Raynor HCA 2014-01
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/30/2014
A good war-date Union sailor's battle letter, 4pp. 8vo., written by Ezra Greene, "U. S. Gun Boat Louisville, Blockading Fleet Yazoo River, July 23, [1862]", in part: "…we wear nothing but blue flannel shirts and blue satin pants…one morning about 5 o'clock firing was heard in the direction of the Yazoo river. All supposed the rebels had got a field battery on the bank and were firing at the Carondelet. As they did the Mound City [came up.]…it proved to be a powerful iron clad gun boat covered with double rail road iron. The first indication we had of her [was when] one of our rams, the Queen came down…under a full head of steam…a ball whistled past her…as she came into our sight…after we saw the low hulled, clay collored rebel gunboat Arkansas firing at everything that came within her range. She hit us with one shot near the water…on the corner of the iron. It did no damage. Not one boat in the fleet had steam up except one ram. She attempted to but the rebel but received a shot through her boilers, 13 men being scalded…the Benton followed her down and fired several shots at her and…in return she got a shot through her stern into the cabin killing one man, wounding 2 others in the presence of Commodores Farragut and Davis. That night the Louisville and Benton went down and shelled the batteries. The…fleet went down after the rebel but she was so near the color of the bank that they could not see here. About 2 o'c the 21[st] we went down and shelled the batteries again. The Essex went down and give her nine holes. The Queen went down and give her 2 but that day…there was about 30 men at work on her besides a large number at the pumps…". Unsigned and most likely a partial letter. VG to near fine.
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