Raynors HCA 2014-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/6/2014
A good war-date Union soldier's battle letter, 7 1/2pp. 8vo., written by "your loving husband, Charlie," a member of the 19th Wisconsin Vols., "Camp at Suffolk, [Va.], May 3, 1863," in small part: "…the last letter I wrote you was on picket on the river. We were there seven days…the next day [we moved] into the left wing in Gen. Corcoran's Div. A sharp skirmish took place that day in front. We could hear the musketry as well as the cannon. The Rebels were driven back. The heaviest loss on our side was in the 99th N. Y. which lost 50 in killed & wounded. Last night we were aroused from our slumbers…by hearing the long roll beaten in several camps. We fell out and stacked arms and filled up to 60 rounds of ammunition and went back into our tents and lay down with our accouterments on…it had been signaled to headquarters that the enemy were advancing from three directions, but they did not attack. This morning some 15,000 or 20,000 troops were sent over the river to see what they were up to and have been fighting ever since 9 o'clock…quite a number of killed & wounded on our side have been brought in. Our troops have slowly driven the Rebels back and found many of their dead & wounded on the field…we are ordered to stay in cam and be ready to fall out at a moments notice…you will doubtless have read…an article in the New York Herald pretties severe on the 19th Regt. It is kicking up quite a stink in the Regt. and quite a premium would be given to know who s the author. One cause…is undoubtedly owing to the inefficiency of our major [Alvin E. Bovay] who was in command…when it first came up here. He is just about fit to command a Regt of old women…another reason is a jealousy between the 19th and 99th N. Y. amounting to a positive hatred. The 99th was in Norfolk…they are the hardest set of roughs of any Regt from N. Y. City…our boys in the discharge of their duty kept the jail pretty well filled with them and several hard squabbles were fought between the provost guard and drunken New Yorkers…". VG
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