Postmaster
Provisionals
The
first Confederate issue was placed in circulation in October
1861, five months after postal service between the North and
South ended. In the meantime, postmasters throughout the seceded
states used temporary substitutes. These stamps are known to
collectors as "Postmaster Provisionals", so-called
because they were used "provisionally" until the first
Confederate general issue appeared. In some circles, postmaster
provisionals are referred to as "locals" since they
were intended only for use from the town in which they were
issued. Postmasters resorted to a variety of methods to solve
their temporary problems, ranging from creating their own adhesive
postage stamps to marking letters with rate-altered handstamps
or simply marking the letters “Paid” in manuscript.
3¢
1861 Postmaster Provisionals
The
Confederate States of America was formed on February 4, 1861.
On February 9, 1861, the Confederate Provisional Congress at
Montgomery, Alabama, adopted an act to continue in force the
laws of the United States of America until the Confederate Congress
could change such laws. By default, this made the postal rates
of the Confederacy the same as those of the United States. The
act prescribing the rates of postage in the Confederacy was
passed and received presidential approval and signature on February
23, 1861, but did not go into effect until June 1, 1861.
Postmasters
from the seceded states that joined the Confederacy found themselves
in a very difficult position. While most postmasters were sympathetic
to the South and intended to accept Confederate postmaster commissions,
they were still technically under oath to the United States
Post Office Department until June 1, 1861. The United States
demanded a confirming oath from the Confederate postmasters
before shipping additional supplies of U.S. stamps to them during
the period between the formation of the Confederacy and June
1, 1861. Confederate Postmaster General John H. Reagan advised
Southern postmasters that, in the interests of the people in
both parts of the country, it was the wish of the Confederate
government that all postmasters continue their duties, render
their accounts, and pay all monies to the government of the
United States until the Confederate Post Office Department could
assume control over its own postal affairs. In a letter written
by Reagan in 1898 in reply to some inquiries concerning Confederate
postal matters, he explained the Confederate Post Office Department's
official position relative to postmaster provisional stamps.
Some
of the known 3¢ 1861 postmaster provisionals were
adhesive, and some were handstamped. All are rare except the
3¢ Nashville, which was prepared but never issued.
Postmaster
Provisional Adhesives
Until
adhesive stamps were provided by the Confederate government,
some postmasters designed their own adhesive stamps for their
towns. Some of these included the postmaster's name, the town
of origin, the postage rate, and often an elaborate design.
They were often printed at nearby newspaper or printing offices.
On the other hand, occasionally the "stamp" was as
crude as hand stamping “Paid” or a rate scribbled
on small pieces of paper for use as adhesives.
Press
Printed Entires
Some
enterprising postmasters printed entire envelopes with the value
imprinted directly on them, creating their own postal stationery,
often printed at the local newspaper or a print shop with the
appropriate new Confederate rates. They were produced in quantity,
using envelopes procured by the postmaster. These were prepared
in advance and sold over the counter as a convenience to local
patrons.
Handstamped
Postmaster Provisionals
Many
small towns were too small for such resources as printing their
own adhesives or envelopes, so some postmasters sinply reverted
to the pre-stamp period practice of stamping the word "Paid"
with the appropriate rate on the envelope, a procedure made
obsolete by the first issuance of stamps in 1847.
A
handstamped provisional envelope was prepared and sold in advance
at the local post office with the rate marking and a "control"
marking. When it was taken back to the post office to be mailed,
it received a town date stamp. The control marking differentiates
a handstamped provisional envelope from one with simple handstamped
"Paid" usage.
This
is the most difficult area for collectors, even advanced students.
Proving that a handstamped item was prepared in advance and
sold over the counter is not always straightforward. What may
seem "obvious" to some only generates questions to
others.
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