1865 Civil War pass through lines to destitute Woodstock VA Winfield S Hancock

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I believe this to be an authentic original note. There is an engraved stamp in the upper left hand corner of the first page, but I can't make it out and it doesn't seem to appear in the scanned picture even though I decreased the brightness. This note was included in a box full of old family letters dating from the late 1700's through the Civil War to the late 1800's. There are several to and from Mary Elizabeth Reed Haas, her father, Henry Reed and her husband, Isaac Haas, which makes me believe this is authentic, but I am not a professional expert by any means. If you should find this not to be original you are more than welcome to notify me and I shall be glad to have you return it for a refund. The condition is excellent . The scanned copies show darkness near the folds, but it is not obvious on the original. There are no rips or tears on this 5" x 8" lined paper. The writing continues on the back of the page. There are two folds, but no damage is noted. The penmanship itself is difficult to read, but possible. I am not sure of the signature, but this reply to the original letter of request was ordered by Major General Winfield Scott Hancock. According to record Major General Hancock was the final Federal commander to rule over Winchester, VA. Mrs. Haas would have had to cross through Winchester to get home to Woodstock, VA, which is about 30 miles south of Winchester. On April 15, 1865, Hancock departed Winchester for Washington, DC, General Alfred Torbert succeeded him in command. The following is my transcription of this note-the brackets denote areas of my interpretation that are quite possibly wrong. The underlined areas are words I could not decipher: H ___mid Div [Headquarters Middle Military Division] Office _____ Apl 1 1865 Mr. Henry L. Reed [1] Chambersburg, Penn. Dear Sir, I am directed by Major Gen. Hancock [2] to say in reply to your letter that he cannot permit your Daughter [3] & her children [4] to pass thr[ ough ] his lines at present----as soon as circumstances will permit he will be very glad to send her a pass as she desires. The General also desires me to state that the people about Woodstock are quite destitute and as no supplies of any kind are permitted to pass thr[ ough ] the lines he thinks it will be quite difficult for people to reside in the vicinity of Woodstock. I am very resp[ ectfully ] your [ obedient] [ servant ] [E. P. Parsons ] [Army ] [1] Henry Ludovicus Reed 1790-1886 [2] Major General Winfield Scott Hancock-according to record Major General Hancock was the final Federal commander to rule over Winchester, VA during the Civil War. On April 15, 1865, Hancock departed Winchester for Washington, DC, General Alfred Torbert succeeded him in command. [3] Daughter-Mary Elizabeth Reed Haas 1833-1896, wife of Isaac Haas of Woodstock, VA [4] Children: Julia Stickney Haas b. 1862; Elizabeth Everett Haas b. 1864 (one child, Charlotte Marshall Haas b. 1860 died 21 Nov 1864 in Chambersburg, PA) Your satisfaction is very important to me so please e-mail me with any questions prior to bidding to prevent a disappointment. I will be happy to provide more pictures upon request. I accept PayPal. Payment is kindly expected within three days. I do not ship internationally. Alaska and Hawaii shipments will incur additional shipping charges. Thank you for considering this auction. read more

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