Very rare survivor. At the beginning of the Civil War in the United States, the American Tract Society re-issued Oliver Cromwell's "Soldier's Pocket-Bible" to distribute to soldiers. Ephemeral in nature, carried into battle, and cheaply bound in only limp cloth, few survive. This is one of the better we have seen.
Neatly stamped on the interior of the front cover, "G. W. Coleman." There are at least three for George Washington Colemans this could be; one would be G. W. Coleman [1819-1896] who enlisted in 1863 as a Private at 44 years of age, joining Company K, 1st Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry. Another from Ohio whose correspondence with Joseph M. Maitland has been published. And the final was a Methodist clergyman involved with preaching to soldiers.
Cromwell, Oliver. The Soldier's Pocket-Bible: Issued for the Use of the Army of Oliver Cromwell. A. D. 1643. New York. American Tract Society. Nd. c.1861. 32pp.
Original limp cloth, pocket-sized, some weakness and minor loss at spine. Small stain on rear cover. Very scarce.
