On heavy weight lined paper stock. Showing minor signs of age, wear and handling - mostly light toning. Expected fold creases from posting. No major issues to note. Eye-catching bold legible writing. Overall, in good to very good condition. Will display well in your collection. You will receive the exact sheet shown in the photos. It measures approx. 7 3/4" x 9 3/4"

=============================================================== Front of the Letter Camp Baker M. T. May 7th, 1876. Messrs. A. M. Holter & Bro. Gentlemen– Please deliver to Mr. G. H. Majors, the lumber & other goods ordered of you, v.z. taking his receipt for the same, to be transported to this Post. Respectfully &c W. J. Reed Actg. Asst. Qr. Mr. U.S.A. Back of the Letter W. J. Reed Camp Baker May 7/76 Historical Background & Collector Context This extraordinary handwritten official order, dated May 7, 1876, represents a museum-grade piece of Western military history. It links a remote frontier army garrison directly to the historic Great Sioux War campaign that unfolded across the territory that exact summer. • The Recipient (A. M. Holter & Bro, Helena, MT): Anton M. Holter and his brother Martin were the foremost lumber manufacturing and industrial hardware barons in the Montana Territory. Because their mills produced high-volume structural timber, the United States Government routinely contracted them to provide building supplies for military garrison expansions, fort fortifications, and quartermaster storehouses. • The Writer & Great Sioux War Context (Lieutenant W. J. Reed): The letter is penned and signed by First Lieutenant William J. Reed of the 7th U.S. Infantry, serving as the Acting Assistant Quartermaster (Actg. Asst. Qr. Mr. U.S.A.). This date places the document at a highly volatile moment in American history. Just two months prior, in March 1876, the bulk of Camp Baker's garrison (Company E) marched out under Colonel John Gibbon to form the Montana Column for the massive Yellowstone Campaign against the Sioux and Cheyenne. Lieutenant Reed was left behind in absolute command of the post's logistics, quartermaster operations, and defense. • The Command (Fortified Supply Lines): Acting as the post's chief logistics officer, Reed writes to authorize a civilian freighter or teamster, Mr. G. H. Majors, to load up a heavy shipment of custom Holter lumber and building provisions. Reed commands the Holters to take a formal signed receipt from Majors before the heavy freight wagons embark on the grueling overland trek to supply the military post. • The Location: Camp Baker, M. T. (Later Fort Logan): Established in 1869 in the Smith River Valley, Camp Baker was a critical two-company infantry outpost built to protect regional mining camps, overland freight routes, and homesteaders. Because of its remote location, the fort relied completely on freight lines coming out of Helena to survive. Just a few years later, the camp was moved and renamed Fort Logan in honor of Captain William Logan, who was killed at the Battle of the Big Hole in 1877. • The Presentation: Written in gorgeous, flowing brown ink script on a single sheet of lightly lined paper, this military order displays spectacular visual appeal, clean margins, and crisp archival docketing on the reverse side. An absolute top-tier archival document for collectors specializing in the 1876 Indian Wars, the 7th U.S. Infantry, frontier military quartermaster logistics, or pre-statehood Montana Territory history.

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