Raynors HCA 2014-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/6/2014
A good war-date Union soldier's letter, 7pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Cyrus E. Ferguson (signed C. E. Ferguson), Co. A, 15th Iowa Vols., "near Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 27th, [1864]," in part: "…I don't think much of [the] government as an employer. It is the hardest work for the least pay…we are heated from beginning to end…we have had several [?] lately but no general fight as neither side dare attack. We are in hearing of bullets most of the time & rows at night are nothing…it has beat me out. Our lives have been spared…we believe that being raised by religious & praying parents has had some influence on it & we hope that there many be a few found in the country…of pure enough principles to have some good influence on the coming generations…we heard of disaster to Grant's army. I hope you may hear of no disaster to Sherman's army, but don't be surprised at anything…we thought this would be over before this time…the rebs…keep up a bold a front as ever. We can not drive them from their works unless the artillery could do it and they have got about as much of it as we have…this is Sunday but the roar of cannon along the lines don't sound much like it…our men are still crowding their batteries a little closer…we built a shebang & fortified round it so that musket balls could not disturb us for some have been wounded in camp, but theory exposed themselves too much for safety…Dear Willie…we sleep out of doors on the ground…there is lots of men & guns, horse, mules, cattle and we have lots of big cannon with us…some times they get stuck in the mud holes. Then we have to stop and wait for them to get out…one day some of the men killed a yellow rattle snake. It was not a very big one...". VG
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