2022-11 Raynors HCA Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/18/2022
War-date Union soldier's letter, 4pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Alfred A. Thayer, Co. B, 96th Ohio Vols., n. p., but north of Vicksburg, Miss., February 28, 1863, being a very rare account of the Union army's expedition to Greenville, Mississippi and Cypress Bend, Arkansas on February 14-26, 1863. Their mission was to capture and route the local Confederate guerrillas fighters who often plagues Grant's fleet from the shoreline, reading, in part: "-was ordered to take seven days rations, took the boat & run pun the river 2 1/2 days-landed on the Memphis side-march to days. It was the hardest marching I ever seen yet. It rained all the time. The mud was over the shoe top. In places, the water was almost over boot top. [We] didn't catch any rebels then went to the boat & went up the river a few miles & landed again on the other side in Arkansas & started after the rebels hot & heavy but they were mounted so we couldn't catch them. We had only a few cavalry. They caught one lieutenant, 4 privates & one gun hauled by oxen. They [we] had to leave it so we [re]turned to the boat after two days march-went back whare we first marched-but took another rout-they put us threw on quick time til we got to there bridges & they were burnt-that detained sometime. The cavalry forded it & went on-some regiments waded it. They had to take off their cartridge boxes & carry them on there heads to keep them dry. We made a rail bridge to cross on. The cannon went all over under. We only caught ten rebels & one one man shot. These meaner a pack of guerrillas laying along the river trying to catch our boats. We were gone 13 days. I stood it first rate. It went pretty hard with some. James Graft died last night & was buried today, died of the chronic diree-Annie, take good care of yourself from A. A. Thayer-". The original stamped transmittal cover is included. Thayer's phonetic spelling and loose grammar had been corrected. Minor spotting, else VG.
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