Raynors HCA 2015-08
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/27/2015
War-date Union soldier's letter, 4pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. William Hazen Noyes, Co. E, 12th Mass. Vols. "Cantonment Hicks, [Frederick, Maryland], Feb. 16, 1862", in part: "…the boys are all encouraged at the successes of the Federal arms. The success of Gen. Burnside's Expedition, the capture of Fort Henry, the battle of Mill Spring or Somerset, the taking of 3000 prisoners…at Roanoke Island…I here enclose a heart made out of a man's arm before we went to Muddy branch the 34th New York were stationed there & some of their men were attacked…& two men…were killed. One was shot through the head by a rebel officer with a revolver. He was found & another body with his head cut off & hung on the bushes. Some of Co. E went across the river & saw this & they cut the head off of the other man & found the ball in his head they also took one of his arms & brought it across the river. The bones in the arm were made into rings, hearts, crosses…if he [the man carving the rings] had (ten times as much bone) he could have sold it…I got this. The scull Lieut. [Charles G.] Russell [KIA Gettysburg, July 1, 1863] took & said he was going to send it to New York…if I am not mistaken there were other bodies buried there, but these two lay out & were all rotten. Captain Saltmarsh has been to Washington…they told him there that the war had just begun…he is going to leave the Regt & get an appointment in the Navy. [Saltmarsh received an appointment as lieutenant in the US Marine Corps in June 1862 and served in the Corps until 1871.]…there has been quite a commotion in the Regt on a request to have 30 men detailed to go on gunboats somewhere [actually they would become the Brown Water Navy of the Mississippi]…those fellows that are going on the gun boats left camp at nine o'clock this morning. No one went from this company as the officers did not want anyone to go. Most of those that went were hard boys & have been in the guard house…though not quite all. A Sergt. from Co. F went & he is a first rate fellow…& [I] hear that there is 15 of them…(please keep the heart)…Wm. Hazen Noyes, Company E, 12th Regt. Mass. Vol…". VG
Click on a thumbnail above to display a larger image below
Hold down the mouse button and slide side to side to see more thumbnails(if available).
Click above for larger image.