Raynors HCA 2017-06
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/1/2017
A Union soldier’s letter written by William F. Smith using his alias “W(illiam) Wallace. Smith enlisted on 5/23/1861 as a Musician into "B" Co. MA 1st Infantry. Included is the original cover to his mother. the two page penciled letter is datelined “York Co. near Yorktown April 14th/62”. In part, “We are still laying in front of the fortifications here and entrenching ourselves under the very mouth of their cannon....Every day the rebels fire a few shots in hopes to draw our fire and find out where our batteries are but do not succeed in getting an answer… The Rebels advanced with about 2,000 and tried to drive our pickets in and drove in only one post, the farthest advanced.... Berdan’s Sharpshooters were outside of us and they dropped a man about every time they fired and our battery that was with us sent grape & canister amongst them as fast as they wanted to see them. We are in a good place as their shot went over us and besides that we were stationed in the woods behind trees… They lost considerably many…. The rumor here is that the Merrimac is aground ...”
Click on a thumbnail above to display a larger image below
Hold down the mouse button and slide side to side to see more thumbnails(if available).
Click above for larger image.