This treasure trove of letters and memorabilia details the day-to-day experiences and observations of a heroic leader of one of the first official African American units in the United States during the Civil War-the same Regiment portrayed in the 1989 Academy Award winning film "Glory."

Julia's is excited to present this historically important collection in association with the company's upcoming Fine Art, Asian and Antiques Auction to be held February 4th-7th, 2014. These materials-so extensive that they will be sold in two lots-are from Emilio family descendants and are certain to be of profound interest to collectors, military historians, and museums around the world.

The story of Luis Emilio is as interesting as the history behind these artifacts, and adds essential context and significance to the collection. Born in December, 1844 in Salem, MA to immigrant parents, Emilio was an exceptional, insightful person who demonstrated lifelong leadership and commitment to his country and fellow man. The co-editor of his high school newspaper, Emilio was only 16 when the Civil War began in April, 1861. He had such patriotic fever that he convinced his father to sign a letter stating that his son was 18-the official enlistment age-in order to join the military. Once in the service, Emilio was promoted to Sergeant in less than a year. By 1863, he was a Captain of the 54th Regiment, and then became its acting Commander on July 18, 1863 when all of his ranking officers were killed or wounded during the assault on Fort Wagner. He retired from the army in March, 1865, not yet 21 years old. Emilio went on to a career in real estate, and in 1891, authored "Brave Black Regiment," a book documenting his experiences with the 54th Regiment. He passed away in 1918 after a long illness, and was buried in his hometown of Salem.

Because of the scope and size of this archive, Emilio's materials are presented in two lots.

The first lot , estimated at $40,000-60,000 consists of his commissions, discharges, diaries, photographs, maps, insignia, and other communications and ephemera. Highlights of this grouping are a pair of brass officer's spurs and a hat cord, medals, and a collection of straps, including an exceptional set of Carolina basket woven "theater made" shoulder straps. This lot includes Emilio's diaries, dating from 1861 through 1866; the original "Consent to the Enlistment of a Minor" letter; and all of Emilio's commissions in the 54th; these are signed by Massachusetts Governor John Andrew. Other important documents in this first lot include paperwork related to Emilio's service both during wartime and after. These are his original pension; "mustering out" document; a large grouping of post-war correspondence, much of it referring to the exploits of the 54th Regiment; letters written by black enlisted men; wartime photographs; hand-drawn maps; hundreds of newspaper clippings mentioning the 54th Regiment; and letters addressed to Emilio, including 70 wartime and 375 postwar notes, most with their original envelopes. In addition, the collection includes Grand Army of the Republic items, a plaster cast of a Confederate Navy button, and a memoir of Emilio's father written by Luis Emilio.

The second lot , estimated at $80,000- 120,000 includes a range of Emilio family materials, as well as letters that Emilio mailed home during his military service. This collection is housed in a trunk measuring about 15" x 9" x 5"; it was made in 1840 for Emilio's mother in Spain. The trunk holds about 50 letters in Spanish-dating from the 1830s through the 1840s-mostly addressed to Luis' parents. It also houses a Civil War era album, a gold cross, various daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, school documents, a church program, a memo book, and the 128 letters that Emilio penned to his family during the war. Most are four pages; many

Letter from Luis Emilio's father lying about his son's age

are longer. These letters describe life in the military, battlefront updates, and news about colleagues. Much of this material was not published, even in his memoirs, as it was not considered appropriate for Victorian times. Emilio's letters are truly a first hand, intimate view of a soldier's life during the throes of the Civil War. For example, in a letter dated July 30th, 1863 he writes to his sister:

"...it is real sad for me to receive letter to boys in the company that are dead and others missing and to have the painful duty to redirect them to their friends at home..."

According to John Sexton, the Civil War authority who cataloged the Emilio archive, "This is amongst the greatest letter groupings of a Civil War soldier ever to come to market. Not only are the letters in overall fine condition; Luis had a beautiful script that is easily read. He writes vivid, detailed accounts of every aspect of soldier life. When you start reading these letters from day one, they read like a book and it is hard to stop."