"We were incredibly pleased with the outcome of today's auction. From the Lincolniana and Civil War collectibles to the American Indian and Western photography, the results proved that remarkable items will continue to bring exceptional prices." -Katie Horstman, American History Director, Cowan's Auctions Inc.

Cowan's American History, Including the Civil War, auction took place on December 2, 2011. The 345-lot sale, held at Cowan's salesroom, featured Photographs, Archives, Books, Documents, and Manuscripts from the 18th to the 20th centuries of America's history. With 426 bidders from 12 different countries, the sale totaled $711,000 and had a sell-through rate of 82% with 31% of the items selling above their high estimates. The majority of winning bidders were phone bidders with 64%, followed by 17% internet bidders, 13% absentee bidders, and 6% floor bidders. Some of the highlights in the sale included a Gideon Welles' November 18, 1863 Pass to the Dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery and a Civil War and Personal archive of Major General Godfrey Weitzel.

"We were delighted with the prices for our consignors. To achieve the total that we did for 345 lots was remarkable." -Wes Cowan, President and Principal Auctioneer, Cowan's Auctions Inc.

The sale's highest selling lot was a Gideon Welles' November 18, 1863 Pass to the Dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery which sold for $43,200. This pass was issued to Gideon Welles to accompany Lincoln by special military train to Gettysburg for the dedication

A William Henry Harrison Campaign Flag Banner realized $32,400. This is only the third known example of this rare political textile.

A Rare Daniel S. Mitchell & John Hiller American Indian CDVs Album hammered down at $41,125. This lot contains 36 CDVs housed in a period album with inked identification on most pages. Many of the Sioux seen here were present at the signing of the Fort Laramie Treaty and the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Deputy U.S. Marshall Buck Garrett's Personal Shaving Mug doubled it's pre-auction estimate of $10,000/15,000 and realized $27,025. This early 20th century porcelain shaving mug features a photographic transfer of Buck Garrett on horseback, aiming his revolver at an unknown target. Buck Garrett, born in Tennessee on May 24, 1871, moved as a child with his family to Paris, Texas, and got his first taste of man-hunting in Paris at the age of 18 as a U.S. Marshals' posseman. In 1894 D.U.S.M Garrett was in the manhunt for the last Dalton gang member, Bill Dalton. Bill was hunted down and killed near Ardmore, OK. Sam Henderson, a newspaper reporter accompanying the manhunt, wrote that "Buck Garrett was the man who shot and killed the last of the Dalton gang; he will be known as the most famous lawman from Peking, China to London, England."

A Civil War and Personal Archive of Major General Godfrey Weitzel realized $38,775. A native of Cincinnati, Godfrey Weitzel was a major general in the Union army during the Civil War, as well as the acting Mayor of the city of New Orleans during the Federal occupancy of the city. This extraordinary, large collection offers nearly 1,200 letters and documents relating to one of the stalwart Major Generals of the Union Army. From his days at West Point and unfolding career in the antebellum Corps of Engineers through the Civil War and his service in Texas, the collection offers a rich perspective on the most important, and most dramatic moments in Weitzel's life, with particularly rich detail for his time in Texas.

An Edward Curtis Platinum Photograph, Canon de Chelly, hammered down at $7,637. The photograph is signed by Curtis in the lower left corner.