Raynor HCA 2013-01
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/10/2013
A wonderful war-date Union officer's war-date battle letter, 4pp. folio, ritten by 1st Lt. Nathaniel Henry Talbot, Co. B, 58th Mass. Vols., Farmville, Va., April 12, 1865 concerning the 9th Corps' attack upon Fort Mahone on April 2, 1865. The Federal attack was launched from Fort Sedgewick (Fort Hell) towards Fort Mahone, know as Fort Damnation by the soldiers, early in the morning. They fought all day before finally being repulsed later that evening. The 58th lost forty men in the process. Though Lee's forces repulsed the attack, it became clear to the general that Petersburg, and subsequently Richmond, must be evacuated in light of the Union successes throughout the day. After the battle was over and the arena evacuated by the Confederates North photographers descended upon the battlefield and recorded a series of gruesome, but historically important images which are now famous and known to most, if not all, Civil War students. Talbot's letter is one of only a few we have ever offered on the fight and he describes the action in great detail. It reads, in very small part: "…at the beginning of the campaign…our army was moving & was on alert all the time…an order came for a brave…officer & 20 picked meant be ready to move…your humbler servant was selected…we were ready…and had just got to sleep when whang went a gun from the fort…I jumped up and awakened…my company and then ran back and put on my sword…we took our men to the works…it was some time before the rebs returned the fire…some of their shells came quite near. A piece of one struck Lieut. Johnson on the thigh and bruised it…one struck the works and blew about 20 feet of them to bits…our pickets were doubled and Capt. Hinckley was sent out with orders to charge the reb picket line…we lay behind our works waiting for the ball to commence…musketry and the artillery,,,now burst out in a continual our. The air was full of shells…it quieted down…troops from our right had been moving to our left…we…found lines of battle formed…we moved along over our works…then came the order to charge and with a cheer…we went over the reb picket line right up to their forts…bullets were whizzing past us …we charged in several lines of battle…the line in front of us wavered and broke…we tried as hard as possible to rally them but the…broke us and back we had to go…we went over into the reb fort. There was 3 Parrot guns in [it.] Myself and several other turned them on the rebs and loaded one of them. I found a casson of ammunition but could find no primers…their was but a few of us, we got behind a ridge of dirt and poured our fire into the rebs…we lost all the men we had killed during the day in that spot…the rebs were pouring a murderous fire into us. The shells were bursting about us and over us. Men were being struck every moment. Several shells came so near me that the wind of them would have taken my hat off had it not been fastened on…I lay there till our forces on the right fell back…that gave the rebs an enfilading fire on us…I crawled along the ground over dead bodies and pieces of meat that the grape shot had torn out of men…several men were in the ditch…I told him it was our only chance and as soon as they fired the next…to run…I waited till they fired and…then I went…and found the sides of the fort covered with our men…we could hardly stand. The man in front of me slid down…he stuck his bayonet in the side and hung on to it…I got along on the side by sticking my sword in…the reb abbots…made bridge and I passed over found most of the regiment there. Maj. [Peleg E.] Peckman of the General's [John I. Curtis, 9th Corps brigade commander] staff came along and told me to fall the 58th in there…I turned round to look…and saw him fall shot through the head…the ditch was full of men loading the guns and passing them them up…I passed in cartridges…most of them thought it was…another 30th of July. A few rebs got round on our flank…some colonel…gave the order to fall back and away our men went as fast as their legs could carry them…I shouted myself hoarse…I ran as far as I could and tumbled down…into our picket line…Lts Chase and Dudley were taken prisoners. We lay in the picket line till 9 PM when we were relieved…the first thing I did was to write to my little wifey that I was all right [see Talbot's April 2, 1865 letter which is for sale in another lot]…". Unsigned but appearing complete. ALSO INCLUDED is his 1ST LIEUTENANT'S SHOULDER STRAP with dark blue veldt interior and a period ink inscribed note that reads: "1st lieutenant's shoulder strap N. H. (grandpa) Talbot." Both VG
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