Raynors HCA 2015-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/3/2015
Rare war-date Union engineer's letter, 3pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Jerome Bottomly, Co. C, U. S. Engineers, "near Petersburg, Va., June 29, [1864]," concerning the profound death of Sgt. Major George Polly 10th Mass. Vols. who was killed almost instantly when a piece of shell from Confederate artillery fire hit him in the abdomen. Ironically, Polley who had just served fully for three years without being wounded while a member of the 10th Mass., he became the regiment's last man killed in combat. His death resulted from an incident that occurred during the hanging of black Private William Johnson who was accused of raping a white woman. Jittery rebel artillerists mistook the camera lens of a photographer who came to record the event as Union cannon barrels and opened fire and to add to the eeriness Polley had earlier that day amused himself by carving his name on a the top of a cracker box adding "killed June-1864". His comrades could not find the lid, but instead carved another headboard this time adding "June 20, 1864."
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