Arago: Documents

The certificate confirmed the appointment of Atkinson T. Hardin to postmaster at Rome, Floyd County, Georgia. Dated May 23, 1862, it bears the signature of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America (CSA) as well as the Confederate government's official seal. Not specific to the postal system, the document is a stock government form. The CSA Post Office Department, formed on February 21, 1861, modeled its structure and operations on the U.S. system. When establishing the new system, Postmaster General John H. Reagan even encouraged southern-sympathizing, U.S. postal workers to join him and bring postal maps, reports, and forms with them.