Lot
600 
Fort Defiance, N.M. Jan 14, cds on cover bearing 10¢ Green, types III/II/III (33/32/33) vertical strip of three, bottom stamp reperfed at bottom and faulty, on 1859 cover to Sessenheim, France, carried from Fort Defiance to Albuquerque by military express, then by stage to Santa Fe and by Hall-Porter contract mail to Independence Mo., red "New York 'Paid 12' Feb 19" credit exchange cds, black Calais "Et-Unis Serv. Am. A. C. (3.2.59) entry cds and matching "P.D." framed handstamp, Paris transit backstamp; lightly cleaned to remove some soiling, Very Fine appearance, ex-Birkinbine. Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.
AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE COVER FROM FORT DEFIANCE IN NEW MEXICO TERRITORY TO EUROPE.
Fort Defiance, the first military post in present-day Arizona (then part of New Mexico Territory), was established on September 18, 1851, by Col. Edwin V. Sumner during his campaign against the Navajo. The conflicts with Navajo, generally over use of land for grazing and theft of livestock, escalated into two major attacks - one in 1856 and another in 1860. In 1861, with the start of the Civil War, the U.S. Army abandoned Fort Defiance. It was reestablished as Fort Canby in 1863. The fort did not have a U.S. post office until the appointment of John E. Weber as postmaster on April 9, 1856. The post office was discontinued on October 21, 1863. There was no mail contract for service to and from the fort, so military couriers were used to bring mail to Albuquerque, where it was carried by stage to Santa Fe and from there by the Hall-Hockaday contract mail stage to Independence.
References: Illustrated in Brookman, Vol. I (p. 225).
Realized: $3,250