Arago: U.S. Postal Issue Used in the Confederacy

United States 3-cent George Washington (USA Scott 26), cancelled by a black seven-bar grid. Envelope is postmarked by Alexandria, Virginia, May 2, 1861, concentric circle date stamp on yellow envelope addressed to William Cabell Rives, who was at that time a member of the Provisional Confederate Congress. Rives had previously served in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. He had also served as Ambassador to France.

This letter was mailed less than a month after Virginia seceded from the Union on April 17, 1861. Virginia was admitted to the Confederacy on May 7, 1861, and this cover was mailed during the period in which Virginia was an independent state.