Raynors HCA 2016-10
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/21/2016
Union soldier’s letter written by Samuel H. McNutt who on 7/24/1861 mustered into "H" Co. PA 41st Infantry and was Mustered Out on 6/11/1864 at Harrisburg, PA. The 4pp. letter is date lined, Saturday, Sept. 20th, 1862, Camp near Sharpsburg On Potomac River. In part, “I have been in two of the hardest battles that was ever the lot of man to be. The battle of South Mountain and of Sharpsburgh. In the forces engaged in the first, we were part of the division of McClellan’s, the Pennsylvania Reserves of forty five hundred men, Gen. Reno’s Corps of 20,000 men, Gen. Hooker’s of 20,000 men. The reserves was in this Corps. This was what a fight for certain, scaling the mountains. The ground was about like the mountain above the towpath as you go to Johnstown along the slacking water as steep and as rocky on top of this mountain. We had twelve pieces of cannon, some size = 12 pound guns. At the base was stationed 40,000 men to keep ours from crossing the mountain and they shelled ours as we advanced, and rained grape and canister shot as fast as they could, but in Union there is strength, and a line some six miles marched steadily on with an unbroken front. It required four hours to gain the summit and drive the rebels off down on the other side taking most of their guns from them. In this battle we lost heavily, but the rebels lost most two to one. We drove them from the word go. I know now what our loss is, only it required two days to take the wounded off the field. .... But on Wednesday was the hardest fought battle of the war. The rebels was surrounded some 150,000 men, of them and they fought till the last and so did we. It was murder.” “On Tuesday, 16th… There was hard artillery fighting… On Tuesday evening, all of our lines closed in on them and took positions for the next day. The Reserves, the first to take the fire and catch a raking of artillery for an hour as our skirmishers had, to take this time. Darkness ended the fusillade. As our batteries shifted position and lay till morning, it was quite dark. ... Some 150 shells bursted, in the size of our garden, in front of our line of infantry, shells bursting some twenty feet from me. One struck a tree overhead, and balls cut off tree limbs. The pickets, every now and then, would fire into each other and feeling where their infantry was. ... Day dawned and the work of death commenced. Our pickets and skirmishers advanced. The rebels poured canister into them from a battery of five pieces. They had hardly emptied their guns when we saluted them with some ten pieces. Then the engagement soon became general. Then column after column went into it. Divisions and Brigades was soon cut to pieces although out they could not go for as often as they tried it as often was they repulsed. Was fighting till dark and drove them from the field. ... Our 123 regiment shot the white flag of a North Carolina regt. down three times was what learned then the rebels they surrendered. There has been fighting all day… They sent a flag of truce the 18th under cover of it they left for Dixie.... Loss of both sides not less than 40,000 men on the battlefield is the hardest sight I ever saw.”
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