Raynors HCA 2015-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/3/2015
Rare war-date Union engineer's battle letter, 3 1/2pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Jerome Bottomly, Co. C, U. S. Engineers, "Near Falmouth, Va., May 7, 1863", in part: "…there has been exciting times here. Last Sunday we had to take our bridge apart and row it up the river about a mile to Fredericksburg and then put it across there. All the time we were at work there was a good deal of fighting about a half mile from us. After we had the bridges down our troops charged on the batteries back of the city and took them. This was in sight from the bank of the river…I was on the bridge…about an hour after I went over to the battery. This is the place where so many of our men were killed under Burnside. The rebels stood behind a stone wall. This wall has been named St. Mary's Wall. When I got over there nearly all our wounded had been taken away. There was about forty of our men killed here and about twenty five rebels. Our troops went so far over the heights that the Rebels came in between them and the river so Monday night we had to swing our bridge around in shore and Tuesday morning take it up…Tuesday night it rained hard so we had rather a disagreeable time. All that was gained here in the centre is lost. What Hooker has done on the right I do not know, but he has been fighting for seven or eight days and must have lost a great many men…there has been no papers sold here since this move began…if Hooker should come back to his old position he would have to resign or be relieved…very likely we will leave this place and perhaps go up the river to where he is now…Jerome." The original stamped transmittal cover is included. Overall VG to near fine.
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.