Letter signed by Henry Benjamin Whipple, the Bishop of Minnesota. (Ref: defence of Native American rights) c.1895

This partial letter connects directly to one of the most powerful and fraught chapters in 19th-century American history, involving the defence of Native American rights during the American Civil War era.

The Author: "Straight Tongue" of Minnesota

The letter is signed by Henry Benjamin Whipple (1822–1901), the first Episcopal Bishop of Minnesota. Whipple was a towering, internationally recognized humanitarian who dedicated his life to advocating for the rights of Native Americans—specifically the Dakota (Sioux) and Ojibwe (Chippewa) peoples. Because of his unyielding honesty and refusal to deceive them, the Dakota gave him the honorary name "Straight Tongue."

Intervening with Abraham Lincoln

Whipple is most famous for his dramatic intervention during the Dakota War of 1862 (also known as the Sioux Uprising). Following the conflict, a military tribunal sentenced 303 Dakota prisoners to death.

Whipple immediately traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet personally with President Abraham Lincoln. He passionately argued that the uprising was the direct result of systemic corruption, stolen annuities, and broken treaties by government agents that had left the Dakota starving. Moved by Whipple’s testimony, Lincoln personally reviewed the trial records and commuted the death sentences of 265 of the prisoners—an act of mercy that made Whipple deeply unpopular among white settlers at the time but saved hundreds of lives.

A Universal "Friend & Brother"

The closing of this letter fragment perfectly captures Whipple’s worldview. He signs himself:

"Your Friend & brother, H. B. Whipple"

In an era deeply divided by racial hostility, Whipple consistently preached and wrote that all people—regardless of race—were "children of a common Father" and brothers in Christ. This note, offering daily prayers to comfort a grieving family and sending love to "your own dear ones," reflects the deeply personal, pastoral empathy that defined his long and historic episcopate.

135 x 75 (excluding the card).

Part of letter only; laid down.

R1,500