Raynors HCA 2015-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/3/2015
A rare war-date Union engineer's letter, 3pp. 4to., written on "View of Washington City" stationery, by Pvt. Jerome Bottomly, Co. C, U. S. Engineers, Washington, March 19, 1862, in part: "…I do not think we will stay much longer for all the troops are moving…last week we went to Fairfax…came back Saturday. If the rebels had not evacuated Manassas we would not have come back as soon. We got to Fairfax Wednesday. The rebels left the Sunday before. The place was surrounded with rifle pits and earth works…there are a great many more at Centreville…Fairfax is about as large as Leicester, but very poor looking place. The houses all need painting. I picked up a piece of paper that I will send you…marched eight miles in the rain…worked all day loading our boat train upon some canal boats. We got through Monday noon…we must be going down the river as far as Fortress Monroe…perhaps to Roanoke Island…I was up to Harpers Ferry…it is a great country there, very hilly and rocky. I would like to have a campaign through Western Virginia. The bridge that we built was over the Potomac where the water runs very swift. There was a picture of the bridge in Frank Leslie's paper…this war will be over before next winter. Perhaps we will be at West Point in the winter…Jerome." Also included is the Southern souvenir he promised to send home being a partly-printed, 1p. oblong 8vo., Fairfax County sheriff's writ issued against a certain Thomas Scott in 1860 while the original stamped transmittal cover remains with the letter. Overall VG to near fine.
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