Raynor HCA 2014-01
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/30/2014
A good war-date Union soldier's MONITOR & MERRIMAC naval battle letter, on patriotic stationery, 4pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Thomas Landers, Co. D, 16th Mass. Vols., Camp Hamilton, Fortress Monroe, Va., April 5, 1862, in part: "…there has been troops coming in here now for over two weeks…all of the Army of the Potomac is here…one hundred fifty thousand men took the road under the command of Gen. McClellan…they took three different roads in the direction of Big Bethel…to Yorktown…we have got…about 50 thousand left here…we expect the Merrimac down here every day. There will be desperate time here when she does come down for they have everything prepared for her. I saw the whole of the other fight. I saw the Congress when she went down and the Cumberland when she was on fire…it was a grand sight to see the magazine explode at half past one o'clock…the gun boat Whitehall burnt next night and blew up about the same hour…there was pretty exciting times here them two days. We stood on the beach and could see it all…there was a lot of the sailors that we was acquainted with on the Cumberland that got away and came down to our camp…if it had not been for the timely arrival of the Monitor. We would have a sorry time of it for there was nothing to stop her…now there is heavy cannonading going on somewhere…there was a large force of rebels came down from Big Bethel to join those that came up with the Merrimac but she did not succeed in clearing the way for them. There was seven large steamers came up with her but they left…when they saw the Monitor…", VG to near fine
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