Auction Date:2010 May 20 @ 05:00 (UTC-7 : PDT/MST)
Location:11901 Santa Monica Blvd. #555, Los Angeles, California, 90025, United States
Civil War letter archive of George H. Patch of the 19th Massachusetts Infantry, Company I, POW at Antietam. 36 war-dated letters contain a wealth of battle content and span from October 1861 to March 1864. Excerpts: 2 October 1861, “…You probably heard of the battle at Munsons where through the blunders of drunken officers they succeeded in capturing 2 stove-pipes and 1 wooden gun, and killed more of our own men than of the enemy, and the other day an Irish Regt fired into a California Regt and shot 10 men and that is the characteristic of our officers who get drunk on the eve of battle and then when they should do their best commit the greatest blunder…” 9 April 1862, “…we were ordered out to reconnoiter the enemys batteries and protect the engineers while getting a plan of the enemys batteries. When we got within of a mile of their fort the Tiger Zouaves (Capt Wass) were sent out as skirmishers, and had rather a sharp engagement, but only 2 men wounded we next marched around to the other side of their fort and the Andrew Sharpshooters commenced to pick off their men a piece of shell struck a man in Co. D named Fountain in the fore shoulder and passed downward into his lung. He fell back and cried I am wounded and then some blood came out of his mouth, and he never spoke afterward, he died in about an hour…” 23 April 1862, “…There was a negro deserted from the Rebels the other day, and came over to our side who said that he left so as not to have to work guns, and he said that there were 8 regiments in this first battery who retreated into the woods near their fort and left their pickets in the fort and he said that all their guns went on wheels, so they cant have anything but field pieces and if so no heavy guns. The rebels dont know that we have gained such great victories as we have. One of the sharpshooters captured a wounded rebel and he says, Perhaps you can take Yorktown, but you cant take Fort Donelson, nor Island No. 10, nor Fort Pulaski, for they are impregnable. I think that if they knew how much they got defeated they would not fight at all…” 5 July 1862, near City Point, “…formed a line of battle on a huge hill The rebels commenced shelling at us about 5 oclock and our regt was ordered to support a batteryat past 5, the 69th Penn. formed a line on the brow of the hill The colonel went out in front of them and said now my lads give it to them, and with an awful yell they started on a run own the hill across the plain to the edge of the woods. Then the fight commenced after about of an hour of fighting the enemy gave away and fell back about a mile…” 17 October 1862, Camp Parole, “…When we got to Staunton we were put in cattle cars and had a most uncomfortable ride for 135 miles. When we reached Richmond marched to the Libby Prison on Carey Street and kept us a week and one day and half starved us. Monday we marched down to Aikens Landing and took the steamer for Annapolis…” 26 October 1862, Camp Parole, “…I will tell you how I came to be taken prisoner. When our front gave away (we were the right of the second line) we faced to the right and went out into a plowed field where we formed a line in right angles to the place where we were before. We lost a large number of men by rebel shot and shell and had to leave that position and fall back. I kept firing as I retreated until I came to a little house at the end of the field and there was about 20 wounded men there and one of them was Sergeant Powers of Co. I and he had a hole in his leg that you could put your hand in and he was bleeding very fast when up came a rebel and said he you must come along with me and right behind him were about 50 of them. I was taken to the rear and laid all day where I could see the battle going on…” 21 December 1862, “…There only 14 men in our company fit for duty. At the battle of Fredericksburg, we had two killed and 9 wounded. Jim Smith was regimental marker and was wounded in arm by a piece of shell, not dangerous however…” 18 March 1864, “…Some of the recruits were little boys not more than 14 or 15 years old and wont stand a single march. It is a shame to enlist such boys. For it not only defrauds the government but many of them will get sick and die out here…” Mailing folds. Otherwisel excellent condition.
Auction Location:
11901 Santa Monica Blvd. #555, Los Angeles, California, 90025, United States
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