Raynors HCA 2015-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/3/2015
War-date Union officer's letter, 7pp. 8vo., written by Lt. William H. Mickle [WIA Gettysburg, 7/01/63], 134th New York (as staff officer to the chief of artillery 20th Corps), "Hd. Qrs. Arty. Brig. 20th A. C., Fayetteville, N. C., Mar. 12, 1865," in part: "…nearly two long months of matching, skirmishing, building bridges & enduring the inclement weather of a winter in the South have we passed…our campaign is not finished . We have about another week's movement ere we reach…Goldsborough, N. Ca. We arrived at Fayetteville yesterday & took the city without much effort…we have so far destroyed the enemy's communications that he can not recover from the severity of the blow. We took the Capitol of S. Ca. & destroyed the R. Roads leading to Charleston so effectually as to compel its speedy evacuation…Columbia was very much destroyed by fire & the citizens can thank themselves as mach for the destruction as the Yankees for they gave the soldiers whiskey until they were so…intoxicated as to be unmanageable, besides the wind blew hard so that if fire began in one part of the town it would…burn the most of it. Many of our escaped prisoners were there & were rejoiced to see the Rebels suffer, but we did not want the innocent to suffer with the guilty. Had our army gone to Charleston they would not have left one stone on another for they had sworn swift destruction to her…we have been moving on northward destroying R. Roads & war material thus crippling the enemy terribly. After all their…howling [of] what they would do with Sherman's army they have not hindered our march a single day…as soon as our gallant boys made a dash after them they would skedaddle in confusion. We swept over the better part of South Carolina, carrying destruction in our wake. As far as possible the poor were cared for, but the rich have cause to send up a howl of rage over their loss of fine animals & supplies…the army has touched at several towns on their gigantic march…the only one of importance in N. Ca. is Fayetteville. We have captured…nearly 100 pieces of artillery, thousands of small arms, much ammunition, a great deal of rolling stock…& subsisted our entire army on the country…Genl. Sherman says he intends to get a few supplies here, but does not intend to make it a base…last Sabbath we were at Chersaw, S. ca. I took dinner with Genl. Howard there…we think the Confederacy nearly "gone up" & are looking for the rainbow of peace…he who survives these campaigns & retunes to civil life…will have a sufficient passport into any society simply to say "I was with Sherman in his campaign through Georgia & South & North Carolina…William." The original transmittal cover is included. VG to near fine.
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