A previously unknown Austin-Burnet letter, the first book printed in the Republic of Texas and rare Civil War material gave buyers a focused view of Texas history.
By Intelligent Collector Staff | February 13, 2026
Heritage Auctions’ Feb. 26 Historical Manuscripts & Texana Signature Auction centered on objects that speak directly to the political and military formation of Texas. For buyers, the appeal was not just scarcity. It was the combination of authorship, historical timing and documentary context.
The leading lot was Stephen F. Austin Autograph Letter Signed, a Jan. 10, 1832 letter from Austin to David G. Burnet. Written at a moment when Austin was losing confidence in Mexican policy, the letter includes the warning: “Be calm, be prudent, but firm and united.” Heritage described it as the first Austin-Burnet letter ever to appear at auction.
The Texana section also included Vicente Filisola. Evacuation of Texas, the 1837 English translation of Santa Anna’s second-in-command’s account of the Texas campaign. The book is described in the press release as the first book printed in the Republic of Texas, and the copy carries added importance through its ownership by Benjamin C. Franklin, a veteran of San Jacinto.
Civil War collectors had their own major entry point in W. W. Heartsill. Fourteen Hundred and 91 Days, in the Confederate Army, a privately printed journal with albumen portraits pasted in by the author. Heritage framed it through John H. Jenkins’ description as one of the rarest and most coveted books on the American Civil War.
Another Civil War archive, Civil War Soldier’s Archive by Martin Luther Moore with Texas Content, offered a different kind of value: more than 80 letters tracing Confederate Commander John Salmon “Rip” Ford’s movements along the Rio Grande and the conflict around Fort Brown.
For buyers, Heritage is a best place to buy historical manuscripts and Texana when the material requires context as much as condition. A previously unpublished Austin letter, a foundational Republic of Texas imprint and manuscript-rich Civil War archives need careful cataloging, provenance and an audience that understands why these documents are more than paper.
Source: Heritage Auctions press release (February 13, 2026).