Originally owned by Henry M. Kieffer, drummer boy at Gettysburg, July 1st, 1863, and author of the 1890 book Recollections of a Drummer Boy 
THE AMERICAN CONFLICT: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States of America, 1860-’65. Its Causes, Incidents and Results: Intended to Exhibit Especially Its Moral and Political Phases, with the Drift and Progress of American Opinion Respecting Human Slavery From 1776 to the Close of the War for the Union. In Two Volumes. By Horace Greeley. Volume I Published in 1865; Volume II Published in 1866 by O.D. Case & Company, Hartford. 9” x 6” leather bindings. Illustrated by Portraits on Steel of Generals, Statesmen, and Other Eminent Men: Views of Places of Historic Interest: Maps, Diagrams of Battle-Fields, Naval Actions, Etc., From Official Sources. Volume I = 648 pages. Volume II = 782 pages. 
Condition: This set could use some restoration and, given its special provenance (see below), certainly deserves it. Exteriors are rough as seen in photos. The leather on the spines is dry and rubbed, with heavy chipping in spots. Exterior joints are split on both volumes; boards are held in place by binding cords only and require careful handling. Internally, both books are in good condition. The text blocks are firm (although the front endpaper in Volume II is loosened). The pages are clean and bright with only minor foxing. No torn, loose or missing pages. No dampstains, no musty smells.DESCRIPTION:PROVENANCE: These books were part of the personal library of Henry M. Kieffer, who at the age of 16 enlisted as a drummer boy in Company D of the 150th Pennsylvania Volunteers, known as the “Bucktails.” Dr. Kieffer served three years and was present at all the chief engagements of the Army of the Potomac from Chancellorsville to Second Hatcher’s Run. His regiment belonged to the old 1st Corps, and was one of the first troops on the field in the first day’s fight at Gettysburg. Its losses were amongst the heaviest of all troops engaged. It had 397 men when it went into action; came out with 133, losing 264, of whom 58 were killed and 77 wounded. During his three years in the Civil War, Kieffer also served as a hospital steward.
After the close of the war, Kieffer attended Franklin and Marshall College, graduating in 1870, taking first honors. He then took a three years' course in the theological seminary of the Reformed Church at Lancaster; served the Church of the Ascension at Norristown, Pa., as pastor for eleven years; thence removed to Easton, where he became pastor of the old First Church for thirteen years. He served in the National Guard of the State for five years, as chaplain of the 6th Regiment.
Dr. Kieffer recorded his army experiences in a popular book entitled The Recollections of a Drummer Boy, which appeared first as a serial in St. Nicholas magazine in the 1880s, and was afterward issued in book form by The Century Co., New York. The Recollections of a Drummer Boy is said to have been the way-breaker for all the celebrated "war papers" afterward issued by The Century Co. Keiffer was the author of several other books, and was a frequent contributor to newspapers and magazines.
Both of the volumes at auction have Henry M. Kieffer’s library book plate glued on the inside of the front covers. There is an old handwritten inscription on the first endpaper of of Vol. II with what appears to be Kieffer's signature (H M Kieffer) and an inscription that reads, "Drummer Boy Co. D 150th PV "Bucktails" 3rd Division 1st Corp. - Present at Gettysburg July 1 '63 11 AM". There is a note below this, stating "Gen. R. E. Lee a traitor. So says Abraham Lincoln see page 492". On page 492 are notes and underlines.
It isn’t often that a direct line of provenance can be drawn from a Civil War book auction on eBay to an actual participant on the field at Gettysburg in that first week of July, 1863 – an individual also esteemed as the author of the Civil War classic “Recollections of a Drummer Boy.” Don’t miss this rare opportunity to add this one-of-a-kind set to your own personal Civil War library.
This is a First Edition two-volume set of Horace Greeley’s THE AMERICAN CONFLICT: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States of America, 1861-’65. Both volumes are bound in full calf and are illustrated with portraits (steel plate engravings), views, maps and diagrams.
THE AMERICAN CONFLICT is an extensive and thorough history of the War, with all the detail and insight you would expect given Greeley’s experience as a newspaper editor and politician. But at the same time, Greeley was an outspoken opponent of slavery. In THE AMERICAN CONFLICT he delineates not only the incidents and events of the Civil War, but also the long history of social and political forces that caused war to break out in the first place – namely the bitter debate about human slavery in the United States.
As described in Charles Dudley Warner’s Library of the World’s Best Literature:
This history is not restricted to the period of armed conflict between the North and South in the sixties; but purports to give, in two large volumes, an account of the drift of public opinion in the United States regarding human slavery from 1776 to the close of the year 1865.The Contents of THE AMERICAN CONFLICT were simply too lengthy for me to summarize here in my usual fashion, so hopefully photographs of the Contents pages and Lists of Illustrations will suffice (I’m not a great photographer; the lighting wasn’t good, the type was tiny … well, you’ll see). You can find these below, along with other photos of the steel engravings, historic scenes and illustrated matter from the two volumes. I hope you’ll take a moment to have a look.The most valuable feature of this history is the incorporation into it of letters, speeches, political platforms, and other documents, which show authentically and beyond controversy the opinions and dogmas accepted by political parties and their chiefs, and approved by public opinion North and South; as the author justly remarks, nothing could so clearly show the influences of slavery in molding the opinions of the people and in shaping the destinies of the country.
Thus the work is a great magazine of materials for the political history of the United States with regard to slavery; and whatever judgment may be passed on its author's philosophy of the great conflict, the trustworthiness of his volumes, simply as a record of facts and authentic declarations of sectional and partisan opinion, is unquestionable.
See photos below:
REMEMBER FOLKS, THIS IS AN 1865-1866 FIRST EDITION SET ORIGINALLY OWNED BY A CIVIL WAR AUTHOR WHO WAS A 16-YEAR-OLD DRUMMER BOY AT THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG. THESE BOOKS ARE 147 YEARS OLD.
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