precursor of "as long as they spell my name right"?

[Stephen Goranson]

William Franklin Gore Shanks, Personal recollections of distinguished generals (1866) p. 285ff:

Before going into this battle [Chickamauga, 1863], [Gen. James B.] Steedman became strangely impressed with the idea that he was to lose his right leg, and, though no believer in presentiments, so forcibly and frequently did the thought occur to his mind, that [/p.286] he confided his feelings to some of his staff and friends. Among others to whom he mentioned it was Gordon Granger, who laughed at the idea, and jocosely asked Steedman what he could do for him in case he was wounded or killed.
"Yes," said Steedman to his inquiry, "you can do me a great favor, and I beg that you will attend to it."
"What is it?" asked Granger. "I swear to do it."
"See that my name is spelled right in the newspapers. The printers always spell it Stead."
And with this request Steedman rode into the battle....

http://books.google.com/books?id=4UsIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA286&dq=steedman+%22my+name+right%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=qFLnT-mVG4Wk9ATrk82MAQ&ved=0CEYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=steedman%20%22my%20name%20right%22&f=false

A similar retelling in The national tribune [Washington, DC]., September 26, 1889, Page 8, Image 8 col. 1:
"Only that you will see that those d_____d newspapers spell my name right."

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82016187/1889-09-26/ed-1/seq-8/;words=Steedman+spell+my+name+right?date1=1836&rows=20&searchType=advanced&proxdistance=5&date2=1922&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=+spell+my+name+right&andtext=steedman&dateFilterType=yearRange&index=0

Stephen Goranson
www.duke.edu/~goranson

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