Raynors HCA 2015-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/3/2015
A good war-date grouping of Union soldier's letters (one partial) concerning warfare. These letters written by 1st Sgt. Charles R. Avery, [MWIA Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 1864, arm amputated, buried Arlington National Cemetery] Co. K, 36th Mass. Vols. and his first letter, 4pp. 8vo., "Opposite Fredericksburg, Va., Dec. 5,1862", predicts with uncanny accuracy, the Confederate's militant defense of Fredericksburg, reading, in part: "…Fredericksburg has not been shelled yet. When will it be…the Rebs [will] contest the ground. It will be sharp work for the Army of the Potomac to get over to them…they are on a hill & have their own chosen position…if Burnside undertakes to make an advance…it will be a perfect success…how does the President's message take in Springfield. I think that goes ahead of the Proclamation…since it is a thing that will work on both sides…[and] if it does not I shall be much mistaken. If that is what Burnside is waiting for before he advances we most likely shall not see Richmond this winter…the Rebs military authorities will contest every step of ground [at Fredericksburg] even if the civil should surrender to us the city of Fredericksburg…this ink is fighting ink & is made from gunpowder & ginger. That's the way we have to get along out here where we cant do any better…Charles R. Avery." ... plus, The second letter is, unfortunately a partial, but has great content concerning a very personal encounter between pickets at Knoxville and of Lincoln's Amnesty Proclamation, in part: "One of the Rebs says quit that you d_d Yankee. [1st Sgt. Allen W.] Cross says turkeys quit, but I aint a turkey [and] by this time Cross was loaded & let him have [it] again. This time he started away & didn't lay quit but soon after Cross get fired at from three directions so he had to keep close to the tree till the Flag of Truce was out & he was relieved from that post. [He] dug him a pit where he could be more sure of his aim but all this time he was not 100 yards apart rather close aint it…two weeks ago the 9th Corps was nearly ready to leave Tennessee, but the 23 Corps got scared & thought Longstreet was advancing so we were ordered to march to the front…it made us feel rather ugly towards the 23 Corps…the worst punishment that you could inflict on a 9th Army Corps man would be to put him in some infantry regiment in the 23rd Corps…Woolford's troops can fight as well as any other mounted troops & have done it…Woolford is not fighting for shoulder straps but for his country…the Amnesty Proclamation is doing big things. Knoxville…is cleaning out the Rebels & sending them into the Reb lines. Lots of women & children are making tracks for Kentucky & [for] other states north a great dodge was played out at the front about the Amnesty Proclamation. Our forces charged on the Rebs, drove them back, then [we] scattered a lot of the copys [of the amnesty proclamation] , then fell back to their position. The results of it is. We have a good many deserters from their lines…Charles R. Avery". Both VG
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