Raynors HCA 2018-06
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/21/2018
A rare description of witnessing the military pageantry of the zouave regiments and 7th New York State Militia as they marched down Broadway, New York City on July 4th, 1861given by George S. Paul (1837-1900) the son of Hosea Paul, Sr. of Ohio who had recently traveled east to seek work. During the Civil War he was commissioned as a engineer in the United States Navy serving on the USS Paul Jones, Monitor class ironclad USS Nahant and USS Nantucket and the gunboat USS Sonoma. His letter, 4pp. 8vo., from Brooklyn, N. Y., July 9, [1861], addressed to "Father & Mother, reads, in part: "…I am…still boarding at Sixty Eight President St…I spent the fourth very agreeably…I went over to N. Y…we waited to see the military Cos. parade down Broadway. There were some ten or a dozen regiments in all. The Seventh and a Regiment of school boys in zouave dress were the most noticeable Co's…there were several Regiments of Cavalry. The Seventh wore Gray coats and white pants…their sappers & miners had several bayonets. The zouaves wore blue jackets and red pantaloons coming to just below the knee…then they wore a Buff Leggin and very heavy solid shoe . Some Zouaves that are now in the U. S. service wear a kind of a red petticoat which is sewed up at the bottom…this [drawing of a zouave style fez] is a specimen of their caps. It is of red felt and none of them have their hair over one half an inch long…when they have their caps on you could not tell that they had any hair at all…I came back to B[rooklyn] and then went to Fort Green Park…saw some very pretty fire works…I could overlook N. Y. It was the prettiest sight I ever saw…the rockets go up in the different parts of the city. You could see one hundred at one time…Geo. H. Paul is here in the N. Y. News office but I did not see him…your affectionate son, George." Near fine.
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