Raynors HCA 2014-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/6/2014
A good war-date Union soldier's letter, 4pp. 8vo., written by Sgt. Major Harvey R. Frazer, 13th Illinois Cavalry, "Camp near Old Town Landing, Ark., Sept. 18, 1862, in part: "…this camp is situated on the river 18 mies below Helena…our object in coming here is to keep the Rebels from crossing in force from Miss. and reinforcing those at Little Rock, Ark. We have not done any demonstrations against the enemy of late except some few bands that we…met while out after Cotton. I was down the river…fifty five miles on a cotton expedition. The cavalry marched down but came back on steamboats. We intercepted a rebel mail of 300 letters passing from Miss. to Little Rock. The carrier was to get $5.00 a piece for delivering & returning with the answers but we gobbled up the…size of his pile of Confederate script…steamboats just passed on their way down to Vicksburg with exchanged prisoners. Three gunboats, one Ram & the rest were transports. I hate to see them going back as we will have to fight them once again…I suppose we got as good men in return. Our army on the Potomac appears to be loosing ground of late…I am loosing confidence in our generals and…our Commander in Chief…our generals are eight tenths pro slavery and that is…the reason we don't succeed…this struggle will never end until the slaves are set free. I am not in favor of arming them because I believe we are competent to whip them without it and I think…our President might see that moral [?] is not an effectual remedy. I have been over in Miss. once…we went over after cotton and were gone two days. We brought back over one hundred bales and captured a few straggling Secesh. I would…rather hunt Secesh than cotton…". The original transmittal cover is included. VG
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