July 14th, 2011
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/14/2011
War-date Union soldier’s Autograph Letter Signed by Charles Sumner Green, 2nd Massachusetts Infantry, died of disease at Frederick at the end of January 1862, 6pp. octavo, on fine “Through Baltimore” stationary, in pencil, Harpers Ferry, August 6, 1861, with cover, it reads in part: “...If i was back in Athol and knew as much about a soldier’s life as I do now, I am sure I wouldn’t enlist especially in a crack regiment under commissioned officers. We got the meaniest officers I think in the whole division. They are composed mostly of lawyers and speculators gone into it mostly to make money. There was 41,000 dollars raised by private individuals for this regiment and where is it is the question in the camp. There has been about 3,000 laid out for some of the soldiers and I guess that the Boston whores can tell where some of the money is. I was told by good authority that when we was in camp Anderson the commissioned officers had a dance at head quarters that cost not less than 700 dollars...if they could get up a company in Althol and choose their own officers, it would do for a man to enlist under a commission. It is worse than State Prison if they are all like ours although I do not have much to do with them...There was quite an excitement in our camp lst night and there was an Indiana Regiment come in here Monday. The most of them haven’t been enlisted two weeks and they was half scared to death to think that they had to get where there was any rebels. They camped within ten rods from our camp...Well I camped on the hay til about ten o’clock when I heard three or four guns discharge. Then in a few moments three or four more. In the course of five minutes there was ten or twelve shots fired. We could see the flash of the guns and the bullets come towards our camp. Three bullets passed within a foot of my head and one of them struck the hay and one that passed my head went under one of the horses and lodged in a bag of oats...We knew there couldn’t be any rebels around here and we heard the officers hollaring to them to stop firing but they kept on until about hundred shots was fired. Then one of our men went up to find out what was up and he was taken prisoner but after he had a short talk with the Col they let him go....” More on a fellow soldier being shot by the same pickets. Fine condition.
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