He was given the extremely high honor of receiving the ceremonial surrender of the stacked arms of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House

War Period Signature With Rank

(1834-93) Born in Binghamton, New York, he was educated in a local academy, and then studied law in Utica. He passed his bar examination in 1858, and initially established his law practice in Binghamton before moving it to Elmira shortly before the Civil War erupted. Bartlett was elected captain of the 27th New York Infantry in May 1861, and after only a few weeks of training, Bartlett and the regiment saw their first fighting at the 1st Battle of Bull Run. When Colonel Henry W. Slocum, commanding the 27th N.Y.V. was incapacitated by a wound, Bartlett assumed command of the 27th New York for the rest of the fight. His aggressive actions to guard the rear during the subsequent retreat were rewarded when on September 21st he was promoted to be colonel of the regiment. He went on to fight in nearly every battle of the Army of the Potomac from his initial actions at 1st Bull Run, throughout the army's Civil War service right up through the end of the Appomattox campaign, with the exception of the 2nd Battle of Bull Run where his troops were not engaged. Repeatedly commended by his superiors, he progressed from the command of a regiment, to that of a division, and was highly praised for his heroism at the Battles of Gaines' Mill, Crampton's Gap, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Salem Church, during the Chancellorsville campaign. Bartlett was promoted to brevet major general in early 1865, and on the morning of April 12, 1865, he was given the extremely high honor of receiving the ceremonial surrender of the stacked arms of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House. He remained in the Union army on occupation duty in the South during the early days of Reconstruction, and resigned his army commission on January 15, 1866. He initially returned to his law practice in New York, until 1867 when President Andrew Johnson called upon him to be the United States Ambassador to Sweden and Norway. He served in that post for two years, and then returned home in 1869. From 1885-89, he served as Deputy Commissioner of Pensions under President Grover Cleveland. Bartlett suffered with rheumatism caused by exposure during the Civil War, and he died on January 14, 1893, in Baltimore, Maryland, at the age of 58. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia. The Grand Army of the Republic honored him by naming their post in Binghamton, New York, after General Bartlett.

Signature With Rank: 3 3/4 x 2 1/4, in ink, Respectfully, Your Obdt. Servt., Jos. J. Bartlett, Brig. Gen., Comdg. 1st Div., 5th Corps. There is a very thin stain along the right edge of the slip of paper. This does not touch upon any of Bartlett's handwriting. Very nice war period autograph of this desirable Union general.