[RECONSTRUCTION] 1867 "War of Races" Pamphlet

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Day 2: Early & Historic Americana

By Fleischer's Auctions

Oct 10, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-10-10 09:00:00 2025-10-10 09:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Day 2: Early & Historic Americana https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/fleischers-auctions/day-2-early-historic-americana-19250
Day one of Fleischer's 2025 Fall Premier auction includes early American artifacts, documents, signatures, ephemera, and weaponry. Rare material relating to African American history is featured, as well as fine examples of antique photography. Fleischer's Auctions info@fleischersauctions.com

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• Lot Description

  John H. Gilmer. War of Races. By Whom it is Sought to be Brought About. Considered in Two Letters, with Copious Extracts from the Recent Work of Hilton R. Helper. Richmond, Virginia: N.p., 1867.

   

  8vo, 16 pages. Original wrappers. FIRST EDITION. LCP, Afro-Americana 4112; Sabin 27444. 

   

  A fascinating work by moderate abolitionist John H. Gilmer (b. 1812), a Richmond attorney known for handling the cases of free Black and multiracial clients. In 1842, long before the Civil War, Gilmer argued for a pardon for Richardson D. Smith, a free Black man convicted of aiding and advising enslaved people to escape. Smith faced 13 years in penitentiary, while his white counterpart only served two years. Gilmer was vocally opposed to this injustice and finally succeeded in obtaining a pardon for Smith, but only two years before the completion of Smith’s 13-year sentence.

   

  The pamphlet offered prints two of Gilmer's letters in response to Hinton R. Helper (1829-1909), the radical abolitionist and white supremacist. Though a contradiction of terms to modern understandings, Helper argued that slavery was an evil only insomuch that it impeded the economic prospects of white non-slaveholders. Though best remembered for his 1857 work The Impending Crisis, Helper's post-war writings espoused what Gilmer calls "diabolic fury, inhuman cruelty, fiendish bloodthirstiness against the colored people of the United States." (p. 7)

   

  An interesting work indicative of the multitude of opinions and philosophies of approach to abolition expressed even after emancipation. 

   

  RARE. Only one copy has sold at auction in the last 100 years. 

   

  [African Americana, African American History, Black History, Slavery, Enslavement, Abolition, Emancipation] [Pamphlets, Publications, Ephemera, Books, Rare Books, Tracts] [Civil War, Union, Confederate]

  Condition

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  Toned, heavy chipping. Residue to front wrapper with ex-library markings. 

   

• Provenance

  The Library, Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia (library stamp to front wrapper). 

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