Lot
6 
Confederacy, (Military Related) Cadet Reuben C. Akers. Cover addressed to Cadet Reuben C. Akers, V.M.I. (Virginia Military Institute) in Lexington, Virginia, franked with 1863-64 10¢ blue (large even margins) tied by "Richmond, Va./Aug. 20, 1863" cds, Extremely Fine (Pictured in Monroe Book, pg. 47). Estimate $150 - 200.
Cadet Reuben C. Akers was a student at the Virginia Military Institute when he received this correspondence. Approximately nine months later, on May 15, 1864, Cadet Akers would find himself fighting courageously at the Battle of New Market (Virginia) as part of a battalion of teenage VMI cadets under the command of one of their professors, Lieutenant Colonel Scott Shipp. Of the 5,000 Confederates engaged, 247 were VMI cadets. Of the 247 that fought in the struggle, 10 were killed and 47 wounded for a casualty rate of 23%. Cadet Akers, who was part of VMI Company D, suffered a wound to his right arm but survived battle. Past professor at VMI, Lieutenant General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson, CSA, would have been very proud of the gallantry displayed by the VMI cadets.
Realized: $475