Raynor HCA 2013-01
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/10/2013
A rare war-date Union soldier's battle letter, 4pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Vincent A. Taylor, Co. H, 150th Ohio Vols., "Ft. Bunker Hill, [Va.], July 13, 1864" concerning the battle of Fort Stevens, in part: "…there has been some fighting here and there is a considerable force of Jonnys…most of the fighting was done Monday night & Tuesday morning. They attacked Fort Stevens about 2 miles from [here] but were driven off. They came on Slocum…the one hundred pound guns played on them…we were…reinforced Monday…they would have gone on to Washington…now there is a large force here. There has been but few men killed for they fought in the fort and the rebus came to us. 2 companies of our regt have been engaged Co. K, Co. I. no men were killed in I But in K some were [Pvt. Wm. Leach was MWIA July 12, 1864 and died the next day. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery]…K. is the Oberlin Co…they are fighting at Bladenburgh. I can hear the cannon and musketry playing…the signal corps is signaling to the commanding officer which is Gen. Gilmore. I sat up…all of Monday night watching the flashes and listening to the reports of the cannon…[Thursday July 14th]…the rebus retreated Wednesday and have gone back to the river but they were cut off and came back to Rockville and they have been fighting there today…our forces have walloped them. I have been today to the battlefield at Fort Stevens. Our forces had about 2 hundred killed and wounded. It is a hard sight. All the farm houses in reach of the guns of the Ft had to be burned to keep them from sheltering the rebel sharpshooters, only 1 house escaped, but the shot and shell almost tore it in pieces and killed 12 men and 1 lieutenant…I counted 15 holes made by the shot and shell in one house and the bullet holes were too numerous to count. The house is almost covered with them…I saw men of both sides buried with not more than 4 inches of dirt…their hands and feet sticking out. There were a great many pools of blood…I do not see how one man can bleed so much as I saw in one pile. I saw where 32 rebus were killed by one shell. They were buried on the spot. The rebel loss must have been 5 times as great as ours. The trees and fences are all cut to pieces. In one little tree…I counted 21 bullet holes and I saw large trees cut down by cannon balls. I send you a splinter which was knocked out of a house by a shell which was sent to dislodge the rebel sharpshooters and went through the house and exploded in a rebel captain's tent…I got several trophies off the battle field among the[m] is a dog. A pup about 2 weeks old I have to feed him milk, but I an going to get him so he can eat hard tack before I come home. About 2/3 of Co. H are under arrest for going to the battle field without papers…we have been reported for going. There was 7 of us went…I aint alone in the scrape…". Slight dampstain else VG.
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