Handwritten Civil War document headed: "Report of Co. D. Articles Lost" with columns for the "Names" Articles Lost" "How Lost" (none filled in) and: "On What Roll Charged" all dated April 30, 1864.
Dated at the bottom: "Mitchells Station, Va., April 30, 1864" by Edward A. Spear, Capt. commanding.
The reverse is mostly blank.
Measures 8 by 12 1/2 inches, very nice handwriting and in very nice condition.

Background: The historical significance of this document lies in its role as a "snapshot" of the Union Army of the Potomac on the literal eve of its most brutal campaign. Dated April 30, 1864, at Mitchell's Station, Virginia, this report captures Captain Edward A. Spear and the 39th Massachusetts Infantry during the final hours of their winter encampment, just four days before Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant launched the Overland Campaign. The document represents the meticulous, often overlooked administrative machinery required to maintain an army; by accounting for "Articles Lost" before moving out, Spear was finalizing the company's financial and material liability before the chaos of combat. Within a week of signing this paper, these men would be thrust into the horrific brush-fighting of the Battle of the Wilderness, followed immediately by the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania. Consequently, this pristine ledger serves as a poignant contrast between the orderly, bureaucratic stillness of a Victorian-era military camp and the impending, industrialized slaughter that would define the final year of the American Civil War.