Raynor HCA 2014-04
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/1/2014
A good war-date Union soldier's letter, 3pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Everett W. Miner, Co. C, 7th New Hampshire Vols., St. Augustine, Florida, Dec. 22, 1862, in part: "…a week ago a steamer appeared off the bar…the pilot went out with…Capt. Cotton an old coward…the steamer whistled for them to come out…but they did not go out to her…there was various conjecture about what she was, some said she was…[the] Alabama or No. 290 but this boat said she was the Ben Deford going to Key West after a load of N--ger soldiers with Gen. Saxton aboard. She said she had mail for us, but through the cowardice of Old Cotton it has gone to Key West…Gen. Banks expedition of 40,000 men were at Hilton Head last week…St. Augustine is going to be quite a place soon. Florida has been reduced to a Territory & Eli Thayer of Boston is going to colonize it with 10,000 n--gers & St. Augustine is going to be the headquarters. 10,000 troops has been assigned to Florida to guard the n--gers so the Bully 7th is going to be a damned stinking 'N--ger Regt'…we shall have a chance to see some of the interior of Florida Territory. Rebel deserters are coming in all the time. We had two men desert, private Pettingill of Co. E & Hod. Prescott of Co. C…when Orderly Lane was promoted to 2nd Lieut. they skipped him & Fred Davis…Prescott got mad & tore off his stripes & gave up his warrant. Ever since then he has been raising the Devil. He has been in the guard house a number of times & was in at the time he deserted…a woman came over the lines…she saw them go by her house…putting for the St. Johns River.”
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