Raynors HCA 2015-02
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/19/2015
A good war-date Union soldiers letter, 4pp. 4to., written by Sgt. Ephraim Bender (WIA Second Bull Run, Va., 8/29/62, wounded in left foot), Co. K, 100th Penn. (Roundheads) Vols., "Camp Stevens" [Beaufort, S. C.], Jan. 18, 1862, in part: "…you say that George says they are [a] fat regt & pruty. We can beat that we are fat regt, dirty & lousy…the rest of the week the nigers fetch in lots of corn bread and do all our washing for five cents a piece. That is better than doing it ourselves. Thare is plenty of nigers here. Some six feet high & some not bigger than a rat, all sizes. We are living in a niger house. It aint very large, one story high, eight by ten with the chimney on the out side of the house. The house is blacker in the inside than your smoke house…we think it is pretty good here…thare was a regiment of cavalry came here last night. They will be great help to us. They will do all the scouting…that is the most dangerous work we have [to do.] That was what we wanted when we went over the [Coosaw] river…we have to do everything on foot. They had plenty of cavalry but when we got our twelve hundred over the river…they will do something…I saw a dozen rabbits. Still we don't shoot them. If we do we are liable to be court marshaled …plenty of coons. We cant hunt them neither. The nigers say we can catch plenty of them but they are afraid of our pickets…they [the local blacks] come to some [of our] pickets, then they are stopped. They cant travel without a pass from some of our officers. They would run all over the country if they could and carry the news to every person that would ask them. They tell all they no and a little…more sometimes. The Rebels left several horses here. Some of them aint much bigger than a good size sheep…you can almost touch the ground…when any person goes any place he goes on a full run till he gets back…we belong to Uncle Sam [and] that is the way they use them…the rebels came over to our side yesterday with a flag of truce to get [the] privilege to send some clothes to thare prisoners that we have got in Beaufort. They were taken from them and sent down to them…[also] a letter to our general. We don't know what was in the letter. They was very pleasant to our fellows. Still I don't like the idea of them coming over here…". Bender's poor grammar and some spelling has been corrected aid flow of transcription. Also included is the original stamped patriotic cover. Overall VG
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