Raynors HCA 2014-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/6/2014
War-date Union soldier's letter, 4pp. 8vo., written, on Union Forever patriotic stationery, by Corp. Samuel C. Kirkpatrick [WIA in the face at Port Gibson, Miss., 5/1/63], Co. E, 11th Wisc. Vols., Victoria, Mo., Jan. 11, 1862, in part: "We left Sulpher Springs the 10[th] for Victoria 20 miles down the river…it is 25 miles…back of the river further west. There is only 2 companies left in Camp Curtis…the Eight Regiment is all …at Sulpher Springs. They are going on a march…northwest…to…guard the bridges. Capt. [Jesse] Miller and his company is here with us and the rest of the regiment is along the road…to watch bridges. Victoria is a very nice place. It is on the railroad. The cars run from St. Louis to Pilot Knob every day and they make it a very lively little place. Victoria…is the nicest place that I see[n] in Mo…I was down the railroad…to a bridge with 3 men…a big red fox crossed the creek which frightened us…we have 3 of Jeff Tomsons [Thompson's] men in our camp…that Capt. Miller has taken. They have taken the oath and have to report themselves here ever Saturday. They was here today. One of them is a boy 18 years old. It looks hard to see them. They are about skeered to death. One of them had his father with him. They said they was forced in it. They was told that they would get $24 dollars a month but they did not get anything not even their cloths. They say that Jeff Thompson's army is more like indians than anything else. One day there will be a lot of them together and the next…there will they will be disbanded…[Victoria Station, Jan. 12, 1861]…we had a Devel of a time yesterday. Our first lieutenant and orderly sergeant went out to a little town to get one of their boats mended and…they was surrounded. They drew…their revolvers and told them to stand off. They kept backing off and soon fell back to a bridge where some of our men was and then they was safe…we sent of 20 men. They went…to the town under the command of the first lieutenant. We marched up to the saloon and [they] began to run out…we [?] out around town and commanded halt which they did. We took 4 horses and seven men and the rest got away. One horse…we took is supposed to be a captain's horse. He is a fine dark iron gray. The rest are scrub horses. It is supposed that there was about 30 of them…". The original George B. McClellan stamped patriotic transmittal cover is included. Kirkpatrick's phonetic spelling has been corrected. A bit of damp stains, else VG
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