July 14th, 2011
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/14/2011
War-date Union soldier Autograph Letter Signed by John W Parker 45th Illinois, 6pp. quarto, pencil, Camp McClenard, Pitsburg, March 29, 1862, with transmittal cover, it reads in part: “...I received your most welcomed letter the night before we left Fort Donelson...There is no use of me going to describe the fort for you have seen by the papers all about it, only I will say this much, that I could have picked up all the old rifles & muskets I wanted...I had a fine Mississippi rifle and tried to send it home but could not nor could I carry it for we have all we can do to carry the things the government gives us so I had to give it up. Some of the boys had fine shot guns but had to give them up...Frederick Champ died, we buried him...Our company was then taken and put on guard at a house to keep the boys from disturbing anything, the rest then went back in the woods and lay in ambush for the rebels to come. The plan was this that our cavalry should go ahead and get the rebel cavalry to chase them back to where our troops were and then surround them and take them but when our cavalry go to their camp they were gone...our company with 2 other companies were ordered down the river under the command of Major Smith also a company of cavalry. We went down to where the rebels had fired into a boat but when we got there they were gone, but we got three house barells of pork which they had parked away so we had all the ham we wanted...we went down a little further and got thirty ton of smoked ham...$15,000 worth of pork...We have about 105,000 troops here now and we expect to move upon the rebels soon...” Very Good condition.
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