Raynors HCA 2016-10
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/21/2016
A very lengthy Union letter written and signed by Nicholas Sheldon who on 4/8/1863 he mustered into "A" Co. NY 150th Infantry; was wounded 7/20/1864 Peach Tree Creek, GA.. The eight page letter is datelined Head Quarters in the field, near Atlanta, Ga. July 25th, ’64. Great content, in part, “Arrived opposite Tunnel Hill the 15th of May where we heard considerable cannonading but our Corps was not engaged until the 24th at Resaca ... The 28th of May our Corps was ordered forward. It was the first real engagement we had been in since we left Gettysburg…. The Col. ordered us to throw up some rails to protect us and we had them hardly done when we heard the Rebs coming… we were ordered to fire. It was too much for the poor Rebs. They broke and run in every direction but they formed and charged twice more but met with the same success as before. ... June the 25th when our Brig was ordered in near Dallas where it was badly cut up. It was only about 1500 strong and we lost 486. We ran right on to one of their masked Batteries when they gave us grape and canister in large quantities… The 22nd of June we come on them again where they made one of the most desperate charged they have ever made on us. They came out in an open field in front of us in four lines when the Artillery opened on them with grape and we fire at the same time and such a sight I never saw for it cut them all to pieces and you could see the wounded crawling off through the bushes but there was quite a deep ravine about 10 rods in front of us where they stayed until near morning carrying off all their dead and wounded so we did not know how many were killed but we picked up over 600 muskets… but our company met with a heavy loss one that cannot be replaced to us. In the hardest of the fight while the Rebs were right in front of us waving their colors Lt. Gridley says boys fire at the Color Bearer and one of them did so and killed him. Lt. says you have killed him at that instant he was struck by a ball. When Bill Wattles caught him in his arms and laid him down he only lived a few minutes after… He was one of the best Officers in the Regt. in Battle… The 20th of this month they made a charge the whole length of our line but were repulsed every time with great slaughter and the next day they left their works and fell back to Atlanta for fear McPherson would get there first and now we have a heavy line of works within 2 miles of the court house. Sherman sent in for surrender of it but the answer was not satisfactory for he commenced shelling it at once and last night we could see several fires that was caused by our shells but they are throwing only about one 10th as many as they can and every night we put up a new line of works a little nearer to the Rebs and I hope we shall occupy it ourselves. ...”
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