2004-09
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/31/2004
Autograph Letter Signed, William H. Callister, 124th New York Infantry, WIA at Beverly Ford, 4p. octavo, May 10, 1863, Camp near Stonemans Sublet, Virginia, with cover, it reads in part: “...last Sunday we was in one of the hottest battles of thewar and the way our Regt fought was no disgrace to Orange County. We had been run around through the woods all Saturday afternoon looking for the Rebels and the we laid our picket all night on Saturday and then Sunday morning we were ordered up to support a Battery...after supporting the Battery a while the Rebels made a movement on our flank. Sickles old Veteran Brigade was sent to meet them but they broke and run and then our Brigade the smallest in the Corps was ordered out. It consisted of the 86th N. York, the 122d Pennsylvania and the 124th N.York but in we went and at it we went and the men behaved nobly and so did the Officers. We did not give an inch until ordered to do so by our Officers and then we done it very slowly and in good order fighting all the while we fell back so as to give the 122d Pa. a chance to try themselves but they laidflat on the ground and did[n’t] fire a shot until one of our officers went and told them to fire and then they fired one or two rounds and left us and the 86th N York to take care of themselves. We retreated across a small opening and there made a stand and the Rebels did not come out and show themsleves but begun to fall back and being out of ammunition for we had fired our 60 rounds we was ordered off for the Battery had been withdrawn and the enemy had possession of our earthworks but we formed again with some others and made a charge and recapturing our works killing some and taking some prisoners there. Seeing that we was alone we fell back and supported Meaghers Irish Brigade while they made a charge the Rebs shelling us all the while at a fearful rate and then we fell back to our former positions and thus ended one of the fiercest struggles of the war, Antietam did not compare with it...” Fine. The 124th had over 220 casualties on May 3, 1863 at during the battle.
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