June 1861 7th South Carolina Letter.

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/10/2013

A good early war-date Confederate soldier's letter, 4pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Fred Treat, "Head Quarters 7th Regiment S. C., Camp Twiggs near Manassas Junction, Va., June 17, 1861, in part: "…I volunteered last fall to join the state militia if needed and when the battle commenced at Fort Sumter was ordered immediately to Charleston. We left the next morning…and was camped in Charleston for two weeks. We then moved to Aiken thirty miles from Augusta [and] was camped there five weeks…the day that I heard Alexandria was taken by the Federal troops volunteered to join the Confederate army and on the fourth day of this month started to Richmond and last Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) was ordered to leave for Manassas Junction. We arrived here safe Friday afternoon. We are camped two miles above the junction. Our Regiment numbers nine hundred and fifty men. We are under command of General Beauregard. Thos. Bacon is colonel…and W. F. Prescott is captain of the company in which I belong. At Manassas Junction there is seven or eight Reg.mts and have erected Breastworks all about their camps. They have got some horses which were taken from the Yankees & thirteen prisoners. Col. Cash [8th SC] Regiment is stationed about one mile from here. Kershaw's [2nd SC]Regiment is about ten miles from us near Fairfax and Gegg's [1st SC] Regiment advanced to the banks of the Potomac…within sight of the enemy…Colonel Seibles' [6th Alabama] regiment from Alabama landed here Saturday. They are camped at our left. I enquired…to see if any of the companies…were from the city of Mobile. A Mississippi Regiment just landed and are camped within sight of us. I heard while I was in Augusta that you was stationed in Fort Morgan. Mena wrote…that you was a lieutenant of a Mobile Company. I have not received any letter from the North since the first of May. I suppose the mail have stopped at the same time I received Mena's. I got two others from abolitionist schoolmates in P[ennsylvania]. They wrote me that they had always been friendly to me but if they should meet me on the Battle Field all friendship would be forgotten and it would be a sweet pleasure for them to out a Bullett apiece through my head. Letters have been received in Augusta from P. stating that it never will do for Mrs. Treats two sons and Goodrich Green ever to place their feet again in Portsmouth. Goodrich is in our company and in my mess. Jimmy Downs was in Augusta but when the volunteers flocked through there for Virginia. He got frightened and without letting me know…sneaked out of the city and I have since heard he has landed in Portsmouth. John M. Clark's son Amos has gone to Pensacola with the Clintch Rifles [Co. A, 5th Georgia] as drummer. [Amos K. Clark survived the war and surrendered at Greensboro, NC, April 26, 1865.] I suppose it was your intention to have gone North this summer had it…been peaceable times. I would have gone had I heard you was there and when Peace is declared and if nothing happens…[if] you keep in the notion of going…perhaps I will go there too. I am patiently waiting to see what will be done when Congress meets (on the fourth of July). I am in hopes this matter will be settled peaceably…I am a volunteer for one year but if the war continues shall volunteer again…". During the war the 7th lost heavily while at the battle of Gettysburg they lost twenty-seven percent of those engaged. VG

Click on a thumbnail above to display a larger image below
Hold down the mouse button and slide side to side to see more thumbnails(if available).