Terrific Handwritten Letter with Content Relating to Infamous Assault on Sumner in Senate Chamber RE: Kansas-Nebraska Act Opposition!Handwritten letter signed, one page both sides, 4.5" x 7.5", August 27, 1856. Just 3 months prior, on May 22, 1856, Sumner was famously assaulted and severely beaten in the Senate chamber by South Carolina congressman Preston Brooks after Sumner had denounced the Kansas-Nebraska Act and verbally attacked its authors, Stephen A. Douglas and Brooks’ uncle Andrew Butler. Sumner’s injuries were so severe that he was unable to attend sessions of Congress for the next three years, with this correspondence written from Cresson in the Alleghany Mountains of Pennsylvania, where his physician had sent him to recuperate.
Frustrated with his slow recuperation and the perceived injustices that follow, Sumner writes, in part: “Had I imagined my disability was to wear away so slowly, I should have tried long ago to reach Mass. But I was in constant hope of a change, & was unwilling to get far from Washington, as my first longing was to get into my seat, & I wished to keep within easy distance. Day by day this opportunity has passed from me. My physician imposed upon me still and the mouth of inaction, & will not allow me yet to leave the mountain. Oh! The crime which is now waging against Kansas! I yearn to denounce it again & to point my finger at its author.”
The letter is very well preserved and stands in fine condition, with the handwriting rating a solid "9-10" in strength throughout. The letter is tastefully housed in a double-sided framed display with imagery that highlights the infamous assault that occurred on Sumner, with the display allowing for full viewing of both sides. Display measures 14.75" x 19.5". Accompanied by a full Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA.