Louisiana native Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard was the first man in the newly formed Confederacy to be appointed Brigadier General. Soon he would be sent to Charleston, South Carolina to shore up the defenses surrounding Charleston Harbor and an island fort currently being occupied by Federal troops.

Under his command, at 4:30 AM on the morning of April 12, 1861, the bombardment of Fort Sumter began. The result of the 36 hour battle was the surrender of the fort; and of the beginning of the War for Southern Independence. During the surrender ceremonies on April 14^th a cannon would explode, killing two Federal soldiers, the only casualties of the bombardment. One week later the first men killed in action would fall on the blood soaked streets of Baltimore, Maryland.

General Beauregard, though now commonly known as P. G. T. Beauregard, rarely used his first name in adult life and signed his name G. T. Beauregard. This detail can be seen on the signature card with the date 1876, as displayed inside the painted wood frame. Also in the frame is a high quality lithograph of the General which says at its base "Eng^d by Geo.E.Perine”. A 3.5 inch Palmetto badge is mounted on a piece of soft black felt and attached to the glass with rear facing tape. These were frequently used by both soldiers and civilians as patriotic South Carolina badges. They would be worn on their breasts or hats.

The signature is authentic; there is no way to exactly date the Palmetto to the War period (it is priced with this in mind), though it is certainly very old. The group displays together quite well. The frame measures 10x12 inches.