Raynors HCA 2015-05
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/21/2015
A good war-date Union officer's letter, 4pp. 8vo., written by Captain Augustus Alonzo Hoit, Co. G, 8th Maine Vols. (later captain 34th USCT), Savannah River, [S. C.], Mar. 5, 1862, in part: "…I returned on Saturday…without having been able to do much in the way of "spreading" ourselves. The rebels did not see fit to come nearer to us than about two miles…we sent a great many shot and shells about their steamers…about one…last Saturday morning the rebels made an attempt to plant a battery near us among the tall reeds…we discovered them…and gave them a few shells which drove them off…Pulaski will be taken soon…then we shall make an advance on Savannah. We would advance now but Gen. Sherman is so scattered our forces…cannot do it without the aid of gunboats. Pulaski is as good as taken already…we have completely cut off the[ir] communication from the city and the fort is poorly supplied…the rebels have five or six heavily armed steamers within sight…they must soon fall into our hands…while I was on Bird Island some of my men picked up a raft of lumber containing between six and seven thousand feet of…pine boards…the major in command…asked me for one of my men to take charge of his boat…next day something was discovered floating down the river directly towards our battery…the men all concluded the floating object [was] some sort of an "infernal machine"…they watched it for some time…the young man above referred toolset all patience…and suddenly sprang into his boat and called for his crew saying that he would go to the d_ _d thing if it blew him to H_ _l. His crew immediately followed and in less than fifteen minutes young Stevens had reached the fearful object and found it to be an immense raft of lumber and worth about 3000 dollars…the raft was towed to the landing…will be a great service to us…yours in love, Alonzo…". VG
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