2022-11 Raynors HCA Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/18/2022
War-date Union soldier's letter, 6pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Alfred A. Thayer, Co. B, 96th Ohio Vols., Marion Hospital, New Orleans, La., "Ward S, bed 57," April 2, 1864, reading, in part: "-you said Emily was writing-it does me good to hear that you & old Em has such good times go in on your big Uncle. I wish Dan & myself was there to help in it along. Tell Em there is no danger of Dan getting married unless him & me make a match-tell her if she is a good girl that I wont have him so as to give her the next chance for she will be his next choice-Annie, it would [?] you to go threw this hospital to hurt the little boys, lots of them not but 12 & 15. The talk is that they are all get[ting] discharged-the man that enlisted them ought to pay back the money that has been paid them. They are from New York & Maine-this hospital is noted -lots of them hasn't been [in] the service 7 months-there is going to be something done on the Potomac this summer for General Grant has call his western boys to the Potomac. I am glad I belong to the western army-they have the most fighting to do for General Grant sais they are the boys [that] can do it. Annie, they have had a fight & our division was in it-the rebs had 12 thousand & our men 8 thousand-they had a hard fight. They fought for three ours-the rebs had to run with a pretty heavy loss-our loss was not so large-about 60 slightly wounded. Poor boys I think of them but that does them no good & the weather is been very bad-cold & windy. Regular March weather. I wish I was with them-we have pretty hard grub-fat pork sometimes dry pieces. They aint fit for a hog. Often for super nothing but a cup of tea-they cheat the soldier out of his rations-sell them & put the money in ther pocket. I would like to see all these rascals put before a battery & have the battery loaded with grape and canister-A. A. Thayer-" An original stamped transmittal cover is included. Thayer's phonetic spelling and loose grammar had been corrected. Some toning, else VG.
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