1864 CSA Alabama Postmaster Form Desotaville to Canton MS Signed E. Hulvey ZAYIX

1864 Confederate Alabama Postmaster Postal Accounting Form – Desotaville to Canton, Mississippi – Signed E. Hulvey, P.M.

Confederate States of America – 1864 Postmaster’s “Letters Sent” accounting form from Desotaville, Alabama to Canton, Mississippi, printed on coarse brown wartime paper and completed in ink. The form is headed “LETTERS from ____ To ____ 1864” with a full printed grid for tracking rates, unpaid and paid letters, stamps, and money collected. This example is filled out in manuscript for mail forwarded from the small Alabama office of Desotaville to Canton, Mississippi, and is signed at lower right by postmaster E. Hulvey, P.M.

The printed layout includes columns for postage rates, unpaid letters, paid letters, postage paid by stamps, and amounts received in money. The postmaster has entered the appropriate tallies in ink, and there is a contemporary manuscript date notation indicating May 1864. The reverse shows a period pencil notation and clearly reveals the fibrous texture of the brown Confederate paper stock.

Such Confederate postal accounting forms were working documents of the Post Office Department and were typically destroyed after the accounts were examined and settled. Surviving examples are scarce, and items from small rural Alabama offices like Desotaville are significantly harder to find than forms from larger cities. This is a desirable piece of Confederate postal history combining a small-town origin, clear postmaster signature, and a well-preserved example of CSA administrative paperwork.

Desotaville, Alabama and Postmaster E. Hulvey

Desotaville (often spelled “Desotoville” in period documents) was a small rural post office in Alabama, operating in the mid-19th century and serving a limited local population. Compared to major Confederate postal centers such as Montgomery or Mobile, very little material from Desotaville has survived, and any postal document bearing the town name is considered scarce.

During the Civil War, small offices like Desotaville played a key role in collecting and forwarding letters to larger distribution hubs. Mail from local farmers, soldiers’ families, and area businesses would be tallied and sent on in batches, with accounting forms like this one documenting the number of letters, the postage paid or unpaid, and the funds remitted. These forms were part of the Confederate Post Office Department’s effort to maintain financial records under increasingly difficult wartime conditions and paper shortages.

The form is signed by E. Hulvey, P.M., the Desotaville postmaster at the time. Identified postmaster signatures from small Confederate offices are highly sought after by specialists, especially when tied to a dated administrative document. Although detailed biographical information on Hulvey is limited, the existence of this signed form provides direct evidence of his role as postmaster for Desotaville during the final years of the Confederacy.

Paper and Printing

• Printed “LETTERS from ____ To ____ 1864” heading with ruled accounting grid.
• Coarse brown wove paper typical of late-war Confederate stock, showing noticeable fibers and texture.
• Printed columns for rate, unpaid, paid, by stamps, and in money, consistent with Confederate postal accounting layouts.

Manuscript Content

• Origin: Desotaville, Alabama, to Canton, Mississippi, completed in period ink.
• Manuscript entries indicating the number of letters and the associated postage accounting for May 1864.
• Signed at lower right: “E. Hulvey, P.M.” (Postmaster), adding strong postal and historical interest.
• Reverse side bears a small period pencil notation and shows the wartime paper’s texture and color.

Condition

• Typical age toning consistent with 1860s Confederate documents.
• Minor edge wear and small faults expected from a working piece of postal ephemera; no major repairs noted.
• Manuscript writing remains clear and legible, including the origin, destination, and postmaster signature.

Scarcity and Desirability

• Confederate postal accounting forms are significantly scarcer than standard covers or loose stamps.
• Material from small Alabama offices such as Desotaville is particularly difficult to obtain and seldom appears on the market.
• Postmaster-signed documents carry strong appeal for collectors of Confederate postal history, Alabama postal history, and Civil War administrative ephemera.
• Excellent crossover item for collectors of CSA, Alabama, postal documents, and Civil War manuscripts.

Summary

This is a scarce and desirable Confederate postal accounting form from the small Alabama office of Desotaville, documenting mail forwarded to Canton, Mississippi in 1864 and signed by postmaster E. Hulvey. With its original printed grid, wartime brown paper, clear manuscript entries and signature, and small-town Alabama origin, it is a strong addition to any advanced collection of Confederate postal history or Civil War-era manuscripts.

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