57th NC Letter Group With Excellent Content

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/31/2004

Archive of approximately 50 letters written by Andrew Hauss, over 200 pages, octavo, 1848-1865, various locations to his wife, Mary, in Lincolnton, North Carolina. Hauss enlisted as a Private in the Confederate army at age 35 on July 4, 1862 and found himself assigned to Co. "G", 57th NC State Troops. A hard-fighting regiment, the 57th NC suffered enormous casualties beginning with Fredrickburg, where it lost over 100 men. Gettysburg claimed 22% of the 57th's remaining strength and only 60 of its number were left to surrender with Lee. Private Hauss was counted among the survivors who stacked arms at Appomattox. Over 40 of the Hauss letters are war date and describe his experiences in combat, camp, and hospital. He also details the fortunes of friends and family members serving with the 57th NC, mentioning them by name as they become casualties. Hauss tends to spell words phonetically, however his grammar is decent and the text flows easily. Highlights of the collection are as follows: (Richmond, VA, 9/9/62)...we drawd our napsacks & haversack & cantines since we have bin at this place. We are ready now for marching...we are geting prety well drild...(Camp Vance, VA, 10/17/62)...I am told that a private wages is rased from 11 to $15 per month...(Near Fredricksburg, 11/25/62)...we have been on a big march for severls days...we started agane in the rane and marchd some 18 miles...we tuck up camp and expect a fight rite off...the yankees are not far off...we now belong to generl law's brigade generl hood's devision...(Near Fredricksburg,12/14/62)...My dear and ever loving wife I feel thankful to my god that I have bin spard through this awfull fight and not tucht by a ball or shel and thousands of them past by me ove me and every way...our regment sufferd severly in the fight and our Company also. We had three kild in our Company...Capt Speck had his leg shot off below the knee. Lieutenant J.H. Boyed slitly wonded with a shell , Andrew Sain slitly wonded and missing, Franklin Stubbs slitly wonded but present Some more slitly wonded Noah Sain serely wonded. I believe that is all I can think of at this time...Mary it is and awfull thing to see men fighting shuting one and nather down just in that seing men fall in every direction...(Near Fredericksburg, VA, 4/20/63)...we are wildly sepperratied from Each other at this time but I hope a change will sone take place and a spedy pise come a bout and we pore soliger be permitted to return to our dear ones at home to remain thru this short life...(Near Fredericksburg, VA, 5/10/63)...the yankes tryed to cross the rivernere the same plase the did before. On the first day our troops collect and the yankes went back and went up the river some ten miles or a portion of...Jackson and Hill went up there left Erly with his devision to defend this plase and Saturday the yanks all gave back and we ware orderd up the river...we had a small fight but did not lose a man. We kild some Eight of them and they gave back a gane and went some 4 miles up the river and crost a gane...we ware thrown in line of battle we wore her till six or oc in the evning we then advanced on them at a duble qick. We had a bout one and a half miles to run and over the ruffest sort of ground. We made them git from there but we lost some men. Our lose in our Reg ws one hundred and twinty Eight kild and wonded and missing...I will give you the names kild in our company Lieu Boyd shot thru the hedd Adam Hauss kild he was shot throw the leg some one sead they thought he was shot a gane afterword, and bled to deth. Them tow is all we had kild we had seven wonded...I have said nothing yet consurning the fight that jackson and Hill had up the river. They had a severe ingagement up there and some Regements sufferd severly and others not so much They say they kild a great many of the yankes and taken a greater many of them prisoners some seven thousand I think is what they say...the yankees had prepard them eight days Rashen to go to Richmond but they did not get fur on the road towards Richmond...(Gardens Springs, VA, 6/19/63)...I came to this Hospittle on yesterday. I was not sick but I have a swolem ancle so I could not travel with the regement...on Sunday Evening we Tuck first the hights and then the fort from the yanks and tuck between five and six thousand prisners and every thing they had 39 peses of artilery all there ammunishion and small arms and provision no end to every thing you could name...our regement is gone on towards martingsburg...I am told some of our troops are in maryland now...(Winchester, VA, 7/1/63)...I have not heard eney thing from the regement since I left it but it gone over on yon side of the potomick river some say they are in pennsilvania but I cant tell...(Garden Springs, VA, 7/3/63)...the old 57th is...in pennsylvania at this time they say our men are taken just what they plese I think they will make the yankes feel what it is to have a country run over and tore up this is one they never have felt for the fiting has generly bin our side...(Racoon Ford, VA, 12/6/63)...we have bin in line of battle for near 2 weeks and some times and some times Churmishing pretty hevy...the yankes would get into those houses and shoot at our men to ceep them a worried all the time so our men crosst with a small forse and chrged them out of those houses and then fell back to the old line...(Early's Division Hospital, VA, 6/12/64)...my health is not as good as it has bin...our Grigade has bin resting for some 3 or 4 days thee is still some fighting a long the line every day it is hard to say what the enemy is a going to do but I think they will give us a big fight some whare along the line this month or the first of next...(New Market, VA, 6/29/64)...I am not as stout as Iwas before Iwas taken sick...I am still with the wagons...we are in 10 miles of newmarket Va....we came 19 miles to day and 16 yesterday...we are going down the valy towards winchester...(Mt. Jackson, VA, 9/9/64)...Poetry for the Times...when this cruel war is over/ and our country shall be free/ I hope then to meet you/ safe in our own country...(Camp Godwin, VA, 2/1/65)...there semes to be some prospects for pease now...We have had difrent Reports in camp a bout it. One of the Richmond papers say old Abe is willing to give us our rites in this union as we onst had since I hear that old Abe will recognize our independence. This last is but a camp romor...we had a Brigade Revew yesterday and as Generl Pigram has resently bin maried his wife came out to see. She was on a horse with the officers whare we past in reveu....I witnesst a horid sene last friday.2 men was shot in presents of the Brigade. The men also was members of the Brigade. There is one more to be shot next Saturday all is for deserting there comand This looks very bad to see a man tide to a stake and be shot...(Camp Godwin, VA, 2/17/65)...we had orders to be redy but still remane in camp quiet prehaps it will not amount to eny thing . I hope the yanks will return to their quarters and stay eny way through the winter season of the year if I must fight I'd rether do it in warm wether...". Approximately 3/4 of these letters come with their original covers, most of which carry DUE 10 hand-stamps. A very few, however, retain Confederate postage stamps. Among the dated cancels are specimens from Fredricksburg, Richmond, Winchester, and New Market. Adding a certain degree of charm to the group is the original piece of string with which Mary Hause made a tied bundle of the correspondence. The condition of the letters and the covers varies widely. Both elements exhibit stains, splits, fading, and folds as is usual for Confederate paper stored in humid Southern attics. Although some of the covers suffer missing panels, the letters have been spared paper loss and remain intact. Overall Good condition.

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