Raynors HCA 2015-02
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/19/2015
War-date Union soldier's letter, 10pp. 8vo., written by Sgt. Gustavus B. Williams (signed Gustavus), Co. K, 51st Mass. Vols., Evan's Mills, N. C., April 9,1863, in part: "…our last [?] at Evans Mills is a photograph of the company paraded before the officers house. An artist from Newbern came here and took the pictures. There are three views. One showing the company at "parade rest" [with] officers and sergeants in front, drakes, Dr. Eames, Capt. Kimball, Artillery Sergeant Atkins and gate sentinel Doggett in background. Another showing the same persons and building from another point and farther from the spectator…the third showing the road from officer's quarters to ours. The stockade, cannon and our squad of gunners; the two Kimballs near the cook-house and in the road the company and cavalry squad dismounted…behind is the Block-house and the canvass covered roof of our, the sergeants, quarters which is the first of a row of huts hidden by trees and the block-house. At the left of the company…is the framework of what is to be a hospital…behind that are the huts of the cavalry and their horse shed. The river flows…parallel with the course of the road from the spectator towards the mill on the left…Lieut. Coleman was at Newbern when the pictures were taken. I shall buy the two described…the photographs were taken March 28. I shall…send them when they are finished. The samples are now before me hence I describe them so that you will know what they mean if you get them. The ground slopes abruptly from the block-house towards the angle of the river which is bridged. The bridge is commanded by the six pounder cannon. The stream…in front of the spectator flows through swamps apparently impassable. The enemy must approach by the road…they would stop on the distant plains and shell us out rather than attack with cavalry or infantry by the flank being up on two bridges, one already mentioned the other just beyond across the mill trench…both under our guns…Gen. Foster and his two regiments at Little Washington, besieged for a week, are in a hot place. Most of the troops have gone from Newbern to help him. The rebs have a battery commanding the ship channel below the town preventing reinforcements from approaching by water and our gunboats cant disturb them so all parties are waiting…the Rebels dread the loss of Vicksburg and Texan supplies and hope to drive us from the rich country of north North Carolina…give us Charleston or Vicksburg or a victory by the glorious Potomac army, faithful to death over and over again through untold suffering, treachery, imbecility and defeat after defeat! Give that grand army one victory and the Rebellion could never stand…a victory and good leader and it would go from the James river to the Gulf in a month…". Overall VG
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