Raynor HCA 2014-01
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/30/2014
A great Gettysburg campaign Irish Brigade soldier's letter, 4pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. William A. Smith, Co., D, 116th Penn. Vols., [n. d., but mid-July 1863], Pleasant Valley, Md., reading, in part: "…we have had a hard time of it…we have been chacen the Johnny Rebs up and run them to Fallen Waters…captured about 2000 prisoners and kill a good many…we have about 16 Rebs…that we are going to shoot for surrendering and waving the white and…then they wrone [run] back and pick up their arms and shot our men down…so they held a drum head court marshal and their sentence was to be shot. We have been marching all the time. So[me] day 20 miles and the battle before the battle of Gettysburg we marched 35 miles…it is hard work…we have got orders to go a head…tomorrow morning…to Winchester to try to get a head of Old Lee…of Lee's army, they rushed them in the river with the point of the bayonet and drowned a great many of them…in count of us running them so hard to get them across the river…we took about 2000…all together. Our division took 4 or 500 of them…one of the orderlies at the head quarters took 3 of them his self…here is [an] envelope…was take from Rebel's knapsack at the Battle of Falen waters and a little Cathrel badge that I found on the battlefield of Bull Run. It was laying along a lot of human bones…tomorrow morning we will have to cross the river into Old Virginia again…direct your letters…First Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac...". Near fine.
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