Raynor HCA 2013-07
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/18/2013
A truly descriptive war-date Union soldier's battle letter, 3 1/2pp. folio, written by Pvt. Edwin R. Wyeth, Co. F, 14th Indiana Vols., "H_d. Qrs. 14th Ind. Vols, Camp near Fredericksburg, Va., Dec. 20, 1862", in part: "Friend Express, It is through the columns of your paper that I wish to inform you and the friends of the fourteenth Regt how we are and…what is left of us are all eager for another fight, but not…one as the battle of Fredericksburg…which was fought on the thirteenth. Our Regt was their and suffered heavy loss. On the eleventh after filling our haversacks with three days rations…we marched for the city…for the purpose of attacking the enemy which lay in heavy force in the rear of the city…with plenty of heavy guns placed in such a manner that they could give us a heavy cross fire with grape and canister…if we attempted to approach close…on the twelfth we cross the Rappahannock River by…pontoon Bridges which had been placed in the river under cover of the night…we lay in the streets of the city all that day and on the next morning…we was ordered to make a charge on the enemy's works…about a mile and a half from the city…Gen. Couch's Corps (this is the Corps that our Brigade is in) was ordered to attack the enemy's works…which we did and after losing nearly half of his men was relieved by Gen. Hooker's Corps…we then fell back…to rest having been under a murderous fire of grape and canister and minnie for four hours and a half. The fourteenth fought bravely so did the 4th and 8th Ohio and the 7th Virginia. These four Regts constitute Gen. Kimball's Brigade…they fell thick and fast before the guns of the enemy which was well guarded with rifle pits and deep cuts and they was well manned with plenty of infantry and sharp shooters. Our Regt came out of the fight with a loss of seventh nine men killed and wounded. Capt. Kelly of Co. A was killed on the field. Gen. Kimball was wounded in the thigh by a grape shot. Our Regt looks very small now. They report one hundred and forty men for duty…we are the only Ind. Regt except the 20[th] under Gen. Burnside's command…we are amongst the eastern troops. If we do anything nothing is said about it…when we get the Official Reports we find that the noble Penn. Reserves and New York Vols done it all…[Friend Low, Dec. 20, 62]…I send an article…headed for the Express…have it published…I was at the battle and I hope that it will be the last one. Our Brigade was the first to make the charge. Was on the battlefield from the time we made the charge till after dark. The dead lay so thick that you could step from one to the othert and not touch the ground. I was not hurt…though I was knocked down by a cannon ball passing by my head. I got up after a while and then went at it again. This was worse than Winchester…was three to one…". VG
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