With few exceptions postage was required to be prepaid in the Confederacy. The only exceptions are noted in the section on Free Mail and Prepayment.” Despite the requirement for prepayment some mail was marked postage due throughout the war.
The basic postage rates included in this section are the following:
- Letter rates
- Circulars, handbills and pamphlet rates
- Waterway mail
- International mail
Letter Rates
The Confederate Acts of 23 February 1861 and 19 April 1862 prescribed letter rates.
There were two types of letter rates. One for letters to be delivered beyond the mailing office (regular letters) and one for letters for delivery at the mailing office (drop letters).
Letter Rates
(per half ounce) | (per half ounce) |
|
|---|---|---|
Regular Letters | ||
| Not more than 500 miles | – |
|
| More than 500 miles | 10¢ | |
| All Distances | 10¢ |
|
Drop Letters | 2¢* | 2¢* |
* Drop rate was by letter, not weight.
Circulars, Handbills and Pamphlets Rates
The Confederate Acts of 13 May 1861 and 29 April 1863 prescribed rates for circulars, handbills and pamphlets.
Rates for Circulars, Handbills, and Pamphlets
| Type Delivery | First 3 ounces | Each additional ounce | First ounce | Each additional ounce |
| Delivery beyond office of mailing | 2¢ | 2¢ | 1¢ | 1¢ |
| Drop (delivery at mailing office) | 1¢2 | – | 1¢2 | – |
1. Foreign publications charged double the regular rate.
2. Rate was per item, not weight. Double rates for foreign publications did not apply to drop items.
Inland Waterway Mail
Inland waterway rates were not addressed in Confederate legislation. Therefore, the provisions of the 1859 PL&R applied.
Inland waterway rates were dependent on two factors: the type of vessel carrying the mail (contract or non-contract) and whether the mail was prepaid or unpaid (due).
Mail carried on a contract vessel in a closed mail bag was treated as if it were carried overland. Such mail cannot be distinguished from that transported entirely overland.
Loose mail delivered by individuals to the captain or route agent of a contract or non-contract vessel was required to be turned over to the postmaster at the first port-of-call with a post office. If prepaid there was no additional charge. If unpaid, letters were charged at the rates listed below and marked “Steam,” “Steamboat,” “Ship,” or “Way” depending on the type of letter and type of vessel (contract or non-contract). In practice these markings were not always applied, and some were used in lieu of others. In other cases the markings were applied to mail that did not require them.
Inland Waterway Rates
the First Port-of-Call | the First Port-of-Call |
|
|---|---|---|
Contract Vessel | ||
| Prepaid | Letter rate1 | Letter rate (1) |
| Unpaid | 6¢ | Letter rate + 2¢2 |
Non-Contract Vessel | ||
| Paid | Letter rate1 | Letter rate |
| Unpaid | 6¢ | Letter rate + 2¢2 |
2. Postage calculated from the post office where the mail was received from the vessel captain to the destination post office.
Contrary to the provisions of the 1859 P&LR the New Orleans postmaster charged 7¢ for unpaid letters received from vessels for delivery at New Orleans.
International Mail
There were no rates for international mail because the Confederate government never entered into an exchange agreement with another country.
The Confederate Acts of 23 February 1861, 1 March 1861 and the 1859 PL&R prescribed rates for mail entering the Confederacy from abroad and rates to ports where mail was carried across the border or placed aboard blockade runners.
All letter rates are from port-of-entry to destination or origin to port-of-departure.
International Rates
| Means of Conveyance | Effective 1 June 1861 |
|---|---|
Incoming by sea (ship letters) | |
| Delivery at port-of-entry | 6¢ |
| Delivery beyond port-of-entry | Letter rate + 2¢ |
Outgoing to sea port-of-departure | Letter rate |
Incoming at land border port-of-entry | |
| All Mail | Letter rate |
Outgoing to land border port-of-departure | |
| All Mail | Letter rate |
