Raynors HCA 2015-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/3/2015
Good pair of war-date Union soldier's letters, totaling 5pp. 8vo. & 4to., written by Pvt. Coleman Tilden, Co. H, 43rd Mass. Vols., Newbern, [N. C.], Jan. 11 & 15, 1863, to his parents, in part: "…the order was read on dress parade…to prepare five days rations for a march…there is to be a great expedition [to] go from here I think to Wilmington…there are but three regiments going as near as we can find out, the 43rd, 51st and 45th…we must be going out scouting…yesterday Dr. Adams and I went to Newbern to the colonel's house to chop wood. We worked all day…I shall be a great wood chopper…the torpedo, the vessel that the rifle Corps boxes are to come in, arrived at Beaufort and is now on her way to Newbern…they have to go out of Beaufort harbor into Hatteras Inlet and so up the river to Newbern…the vessel that you sent my Castile soap by has been wrecked…[Newbern, Jan. 15, 63]…we were ordered to be in line…then an aid came from the general saying we should not go…the 43rd, 45th and 51st are all that is going. The 17th will stay at Newbern…a place called Swanson…it is rumored that we are going to take that place…there are fifty thousand men here no…a large force will be left here to defend this place as an attack on it is thought likely. There are two…large monitors in Beaufort Harbor to go with the expedition…we shall not muster seventy men in the company…as a great many are exempt, some from real pains and a great many from fancied ones…however your boy is tough…send me the Harpers Weekly…it is quite interesting to us out here. One of them arrived here today with pictures of our battle ground. They were pretty fair…you will remember in the one of Whitehall a regiment right in the road. That is the very spot where our regiment was and likely…was sketched at that time…the 44th and 45th are always mixed up in our mess. You ought to hear the boys laugh when they read some of those 44th letters in the papers. If they are not blowers you cannot find any I'll bet…Coleman…". An original stamped transmittal cover is included. VG.
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