One page, 4to, in ink, on official “Headquaters of the United States” stationery. Written to Major General Henry Halleck, with a manuscript notation “Cypher” indicating the message was to be sent in secret code, "noon" written in pencil at top, indicating the exact time. Grant writes: “Major General Halleck, Washington: I would like to have General Berham ordered to take the place vacated by the capture of General Kelly. He can be spared from here and he knows the country. U.S. Grant – Lt. Gen.”

On the night of February 21-22, 1865, Confederate partisan leader Lt. Jesse McNeil led a force of 70 Confederate raiders dressed in Union uniforms into Cumberland, Maryland. They seized the headquarters of Major General Benjamin Franklin Kelly and his superior, Major General George Crook, routed them from their sleep and slipped off into the night. A party of Union cavalry was sent in pursuit, but to no avail. Just days later word was received of their incarceration at Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia, notorious for its inhumane living conditions. This incident created an uproar in the Northern press, accusing the Confederate government of the outrageous act of kidnapping and demanding the release of Kelly and Crook. An exchange was quickly negotiated and the two were freed on March 20, 1865. Less than three weeks later Grant accepted Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomatox Court House on April 9th. A fascinating and historically significant letter pertaining to a final desperate act by the Confederacy during the closing days of the war. Included with the letter is the Feb. 22, 1865 issue of the New York Tribune, which contains a brief account of the incident on the front page, headed "Capture of Gens. Crook and Kelly."