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. 4to., written by Pvt. Robert H. Crist (1829-1912), Co. F, 21st Indiana Vols., [later captain 1st Ind. Hvy. Artillery], New Orleans, La., April 3, 1863 to his father with great commentary on part of the 21st mixing it up with Col. Charles W. Drew and his 4th Louisiana Native Guard regiment at baton Rouge, La., in part: "…Banks has started toward Port Hudson and many left while we were there and many did not…but were taken suddenly ill and have been very convalescent…many are very lame…they walk & limp well with a cane…yesterday was Good Friday and as the South are nearly all Catholics…was a big day in the City, business houses nearly all closed and everybody & their niggers wearing their good clothes…the Secesh are all predicting lots of Yellow Fever this year…2 of our companies are still at Baton Rouge; 2 companies here in the Alabama Cotton Press;…6 companies are out at Brashear again. Genl. Weitzel is gathering quite a force out there. The Rebs captured one of our Iron clad gunboats, the Diana and also captured several infantry troops. The captain disobeyed orders and ran onto a masked battery. The captain was killed. Good enough for him. There are some swelled heads if they get command of a Regt…they think they are U. S. of America…I fear Banks is not the name to attack P. Hudson…politics is mixed up with powder & lead…Butler was a democrat while Bank is republican…everybody is stealing. [T] he devil wanted his share…I am not willing to work on a par with nigger mechanics nor am I willing to fight with nigger soldiers. War is wrong…and as to taking a commission in a nigger Regt. I shall have to soldier some time yet in order to become demoralized enough. If I had not a friend in the world and no respect for myself. I might do it for the money, but I am not fond enough for the society if niggers & nigger women [to] take it home…as for nigger fighting I don't believe it. They might do as well as a nine month man…those 2 Cos. [at] B. Rouge were put in a fort…with part of a colored Regt. [The 4th Louisiana Native Guard Infantry which later became 76th USCT.] The Col. [Charles W. Drew former 1st lieutenant in the 75th New York and promoted bvt. brig. general 3/26/65] of the nig Reg ordered the nig to keep our boys in because they would not salute the officers of the nig Regt. The nig would halt the boys but the boys would not halt…the Col. went to Capt. Rose in command of the Hoosiers…Rose told him he could not help it that Hoosiers would never be guarded nu niggers and if he did not want his darkees killed off to keep them in their place so the nig sentries were moved…some of the officers in the nig Regt are from [the 75th] N. Y…some of them have white___ladies to stay in their quarriers for Co. & some not so white…I saw some paroled Iowa prisoners on the wharf…captured at Vicksburg. They claim Genl. McClerand was drunk and disobeyed orders…[small slip dated, April 8]…I am afraid you will have to do without a darkee for Banks is sending them all back on plantations to work for wages or making soldiers of them. Co. E starts for Brashear…there is 40 recruits here for Co. L generally called Hell. Several of them are Billy Wilsons…they are a hard set…we are expecting a big fight up near where the cotton was burned. Federal forces will be near 30,000…". The original stamped transmittal cover is included. VG
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