Fleeing Plantation Owner Near New Bern Leaves His Horses To Die.

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/3/2015

Good war-date Union soldier's letter, 8pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Coleman Tilden, Co. H, 43rd Mass. Vols., Newbern, N. C., Dec. 3, 1862, to his parents, in part: "…the captain sent for me…to report to the hospital tent…they wanted me to build a flue. I felt rather cross because we have worked hard lately…but I said nothing and went to work to build a flue twenty feet long under ground…we had no trowel so I used a wooden one out of a shingle. My mortar was clay mixed with sand. The brick came from the old house I told you about wick is now all torn down. I had two tenders, one to make mortar and dig and the other to clean brick…I do not care about working. Now the captain wants me to build him a…oven in his tent…I was sent with some others to get some lumber of an old house…the house belonged to a plantation…the soldiers…torn it all out. It was a pleasant place and looked as though the folks might have taken comfort. We loaded ourselves with boards…some of the men went up there and burnt everything up. There were two or three skeletons of horses there. I do not know how they came there, unless they starved to death. They were shut up in the stable yard…Newbern…is a queer sort of place nothing but soldiers and darkies, a guard on every corner of the street and you have to be asked for our passes by every guard. It might be a pretty place if the folks took any pains to make it so. The streets all run parallel…good wide streets and trees all along the side…the houses are…small, miserable things regular ten footers. There are but few nice buildings…and they are all occupied by the officers. I saw Major General Foster's head quarters and the house where Burnside lived while he was here…the rebels are not very bold around here. They are getting ready for another expedition here…the 8th and 51st arrived…the 8th went to Newbern and the 51st are in barracks along side us…kiss Samuel tell him that some of these drummer boys cannot drum near as well as he can…I guess we shall have to send for him to come out here…they are keeping all the steamboats in New York for Bank's expedition…Coleman Tilden, Jr…". The original transmittal cover is included. VG.

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