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11th NH Infantry Civil War Lot

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11th NH Infantry Civil War Lot
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A very descriptive collection of 20 letters written by Union Soldier Edmund P. French of the hard-fighting 11th New Hampshire Infantry. French served from 4 August 1862 until 4 June 1865 and fought at Petersburg, Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, Cold Harbor, Cedar Creek, Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House and many others. In part: 5 August 1862 from Reeds Ferry, ''...Suppose if I should tell you I have enlisted, you wouldn't believe it. Three of us went up to Manchester yesterday and enlisted and was sworn in…'' 22 September 1862 from Arlington Hts, Virginia, ''...I am way down South in Dixie…Washington isn't what I expected…Don't see nothing but Soldiers and Niggers...'' 14 October 1862 from Pleasant Valley, MD, ''…We are now in old Maryland, the Rebel Counties…about 5 miles from Harpers Ferry…where John Brown had so much trouble…I went over there…the village is a desolate place…the houses are burned to the ground, it is a horrible sight...'' 28 November 1862 from Falmouth, VA, ''...We are now near Fredericksburg, is a very large city…there are about 150 thousand Rebels over there, expect a big battle we are going on to Richmond. Burnsides says he is going to have 400,000 strong before he goes into Richmond...'' From Newport News, Virginia, ''…The talk now is that the 9th Army Corps is going to South Carolina preparing for a big battle at Charleston and 400,000 troops are coming down there so we expect to go there soon. If we don't go there we will probably go to Richmond. It will be a big battle at whichever place...'' Camp near Vicksburg, 27 June 1863, ''...12 miles from Vicksburg…it is quite a large city so you can think this may crush out the Rebellion. I do really hope they will clean out the Rebs and burn the City counted 200 guns yesterday in ten minutes yesterday morning when they were shelling and kept it up all day...'' 29 July 1863 from Milldale, Mississippi, ''…I will write something of the battle of Jackson…the 11th NH Regt was involved in it. They were under fire for 70 hours. There was 10 wounded, 1 killed there was quite a number wounded in the Mass 35th. We had to carry the wounded off the bullets came thick and fast over our heads…The Rebs evacuated in the night...'' 27 May 1864 from field camp, ''...The 11th regiment in the hottest part. They lost 170 men killed & wounded, such a slaughter I never want to see again…The Rebs made breastworks of the dead. They were piled up ten feet deep some of the fellows lay in the field three or four days. Couldn't get them off on account of the Sharpshooters...'' 8 July 1864 from camp near Petersburg, ''...There is so many dead horses mules…not only that, the poor soldiers ain't half buried. Some of them ain't put 2 feet under ground. We are two miles from Petersburg, Virginia. We have three killed in my company in week. The Sharpshooters shot him...'' 12 December 1864 near Hancock Station, ''...There is about half an inch of snow on the ground this winter. We poor soldiers of the Bloody 11th will have to stay out here only about eight months longer. I must tell you what I witnessed Saturday afternoon. I saw two young fellows hung by their neck until they were dead…These smart looking fellows were hung for trying to desert into the Rebels lines…It was a solemn sight to behold…One of the fellows smoked a cigar all the time going to the gallows...'' 22 April 1865 Headquarters 11 Regiment, ''...The Bloody 11th is at City Point…Some say we are going to be discharged. I don't see it myself. I saw a great many of Lee's army. They were paroled...'' 8 May 1865 near Alexandria, VA, ''...I should like to receive the good news that we are going to be Mustered Out. The Army of the Potomac and Sherman's Army are both on their way home...'' An outstanding Civil War lot.