Help Identify this Brig. Gen.

[civil_war_study]

Hi everyone!

I am in need of some investigators. I acquired this autograph from a brigadier general that I do not recognize. At first I thought it might be Justus McKinstry, but examples of his signature don't resemble my piece too closely. It's possible this individual was only a brevet, and that's why I couldn't find a name in the official list of Federal generals.

Any help would be wonderful!

Cheers,
Jason

 

[eBrowne]

What is the book? Is that related to the autograph?

 

[civil_war_study]

What is the book? Is that related to the autograph?

Yes, it was affixed inside the book, which contains other Federal officers during the war. It is a civil war era autograph book.

 

[bobinwmass]

J. McKinstry?

 

[civil_war_study]

J. McKinstry?

I thought the same thing, but the few autograph examples I could find of Justus McKinstry were not very similar to the piece I have. Unless there is another J. McKinstry who served

 

[bobinwmass]

I thought the same thing, but the few autograph examples I could find of Justus McKinstry were not very similar to the piece I have. Unless there is another J. McKinstry who served

I agree it doesn't look like Justus's signature as shown online, but J. McKinstry is what it certainly looks like to me.

 

[Sheltowee]

Looking at some online examples, McKinstry's signature seems to have some variations. Found a couple where it contains an upper-case "S"- and then one that has lower-case.
So it's kind of hard to nail down.

 

[civil_war_study]

Looking at some online examples, McKinstry's signature seems to have some variations. Found a couple where it contains an upper-case "S"- and then one that has lower-case.
So it's kind of hard to nail down.

Where did you see those examples? I was wondering if he had variations of his signature. Apparently, there isn't too many examples of his writing.

 

[Sheltowee]

Where did you see those examples? I was wondering if he had variations of his signature. Apparently, there isn't too many examples of his writing.

Found these on Google search

 

[W Charles Young]

He is not on the list of generals because his appointment expired without being confirmed by Congress. After reading the Wikipedia article, it was probably justified.

Justus McKinstry - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[civil_war_study]

Found these on Google search

View attachment 566477

View attachment 566478

Yea, those were the two examples I found too. I can see a resemblance in the C connected to the K, and the line that crosses the T (going past the T)

 

[Nathan Stuart]

The name looks like 'J. McKinstry'. But J. McKinstry is not shown as a B-G in any capacity (and whether confirmed or not) in a comprehensive list of U.S army generals in Eicher & Eicher (pp. 701-767).

 

[civil_war_study]

The name looks like 'J. McKinstry'. But J. McKinstry is not shown as a B-G in any capacity (and whether confirmed or not) in a comprehensive list of U.S army generals in Eicher & Eicher (pp. 701-767).

Funny enough, he at least thought of himself as one considering the pamphlet he wrote after his arrest, "Vindication of Brig. Gen. J. McKinstry Formerly Quartermaster Western Delartment".

 

[RedRover]

McKinstry was appointed a brigadier general of volunteers by President Lincoln in 1861.

And announced in Army General Orders no. 106,

But he was not confirmed by the Senate, and his commission "expired" July 17, 1862, leaving him with only his regular commission of major.

This was announced to the War Department General Orders no. 191 of Nov. 19, 1862.

Major McKinstry was dismissed from the Army in 1863.

File:Vindication of Brig. Gen. J. McKinstry, formerly Quarter-Master Western Department (IA vindicationofbri00mcki).pdf - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Funny enough, he at least thought of himself as one considering the pamphlet he wrote after his arrest, "Vindication of Brig. Gen. J. McKinstry Formerly Quartermaster Western Delartment".

It's noted in the Wikipedia listing displayed above that McKinstry was appointed a B-G of Volunteers on Sep. 2, '61, but the appointment expired without confirmation by the U.S. Senate on Jul. 17, '62. It also says that McKinstry was 'one of only three Union Army generals to be cashiered during the CW.'