3c Washington single on cover

The envelope, postmarked New York, April 20, 1861, was mailed to Virginia three days after Virginia had seceded from the Union. The addressee is William Cabell Rives, who was at that time a member of the Provisional Confederate Congress. Rives had previously served in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. He had also served as Ambassador to France.

Mail continued to travel uninterrupted under the service of the United States Post Office Department until the Confederate Post Office Department officially began service on June 1, 1861. A 3-cent stamp paid the letter rate for a distance less than 3,000 miles. A 1-cent stamp paid for a local letter. A concentric circle killer was used to cancel the postage stamp.

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