Raynors HCA 2015-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/3/2015
A great war-date Union surgeon's letter, 4pp. 4to., written by Surgeon Perez R. Randall 5th (West) Virginia Vols., "Camp at Woodville, Eastern Va., Rapahannock Co., Army of Va., Milroy's Brigade, July 29, 1862", to friend Richard M. Vinson, in part: "…we had had no mail…it had been detained at Winchester and not sent for fear it might be captured. It is now sent on the Alexandria R. R. to Warrenton. We shall get the mail now every day. We are now in eastern Va. with our army encamped around in a circuit of 30 miles and…have about 60 or 70,000 men under Gen. Pope. The Rebs are at Gordonsville and near…60,000 strong. We will have a grand battle before long. The Rebs under Stonewall Jackson and we under Gen. Pope. Gen. Sigel is on command of our division. It will be a hard fight. Our Genl. are anxious. I mean such Genl. as Milroy, Schenck, Stahl etc who are brigade Genls. What the event will be or who will survive the great battle is in the future…we drove Jackson away across the river at Port Republic 12 miles below Staunton, had a battle at Cross Keys near Port Republic where we lost about 1000 killed and wounded. We have marched in pain and right till our men would drop down by the side of the road exhausted and some had to be dragged from under the cannon wheels. We then marched back to Strausville from…to Port Royal then up the Luray Valley [and] over the Blue Ridge to this place where we have been encamped two weeks…concentrating forces…I took sick…Col. Ziegler got me into a private hues for two weeks at $1 per day…lit me know the results of the election, who your opponents are etc. I hope you will make the trip. We have no paymaster for 3 months…officers have to pay for their own living. They do not draw their rations like soldiers. We can get almost nothing of citizens so a great deal of the time we fare hard…I wish you would see L. T. More about those negroes of Col. Gray. He is veer anxious about them. He can not come nor write to Kentucky to attend to the case. There is no danger of losing anything by him. Do attend to it. Georgia…be very careful of yourself and the little ones…I have tried to get a black girl for you, but she left with our baggage train then [when] the train went to New Creek and there she was taken away from us. I do not know that I can find her again but you must have help…I have been in one battle. The others before this were only skirmishes but at Cross Keys…we had some 15,000 men engaged. I was in the rear of the regiment…the enemy saw our march down a little valley and after they had passed they poured cannon ball, grape and bombshell right into the place where I was. One cannon ball struck within struck within 3 feet of me…a bombshell came within 2 feet of my horse and me on him. We lost about 1000 men. In our Regt. about 32 killed and wounded. Thos. Stafford from Paintsville was the first killed. His back was cut in tow by a shell…P. Randall." Also included is a original stamped patriotic cachet transmittal cover addressed to: "Richard M. Vinson, Louisa, Ky." VG
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