c.1861 USA Civil War cover Adjutant General of Maine

c. 1861–62 Official legal size printed envelope from the State of Maine, Adjutant General’s Office, bearing two 1¢ Franklin stamps (1861), addressed to the Assessors of Jackson Brook Plantation, Washington County, Maine. Used during early Civil War mobilization for state administrative correspondence. No contents.

Envelopes carried vital correspondence under Maine Adjutant General John L. Hodsdon, who oversaw the massive mobilization, recruitment, and medical examination of Maine volunteer regiments during the peak conflict years of 1861 and 1862. 

The pair of  blue 3¢ Franklin stamps are the 1861 issue (#63), introduced August 1861 after the U.S. Post Office demonetized all earlier stamps to prevent Confederate postmasters from redeeming federal stock.

Light creasing on left side.

The Adjutant General’s Office in Maine was extremely active only during the first mobilization period of the Civil War (April 1861–1863):

• Organizing regiments
• Communicating with towns and plantations
• Assessing quotas, militia strength, and enlistment numbers
• Issuing circulars to local officials (including assessors)

The address — Assessors of Jackson Brook Plantation, Washington County, Maine — is exactly the type of administrative communication sent during the initial war mobilization.