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56

(BERDAN SHARPSHOOTER'S CORRESPONDENCE)

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(BERDAN SHARPSHOOTER'S CORRESPONDENCE)
"A truly great correspondence of Pvt. Edwin Aldritt, 2nd United States Sharpshooters, Co. A, who enlisted at Fort Snelling in 1861 to serve three years with Berdan's Sharpshooters. A fascinating writer, Aldritt's 19 letter correspondence dates between October 1861 through November 1864 and totals 54pp. varying between 8vo. and 4to. in size. Present at many of the Army of the Potomac's major campaigns, he mentions Gettysburg, Mine Run, and Petersburg, and gives an insightful glimpse into the roll Berdan's Sharpshooters played in these battles. In very small part: ""... [Washington, Oct. 31, 1861]àBerdan's sharpshooters had a fight about a week ago there were seven killed and twenty wounded mostly flesh woundsàwe have green uniforms and Sharps riflesà[Washington, Nov. 7, 61]àwe have not got our guns yet but they have got two kinds to try, Colts revolving rifle and Sharps improved. We rather think we shall take the Sharps improved...[Washington, Feb. 2, 1862]àI have been down to town today and have got my...picture takenàit does not show the color of our green uniformàshould we get in a fight I think we could make them run with Colt's rifles for they shoot straight and plentyà[Washington, Mar. 4, 1862]àwe soon will be on the hills of Manassas Junction picking off the rebelsà[Fredericksburg, May 24, 1862]àwe will stop in Richmond like a knife the rebels will have a hard time of itàthere is fifteen thousand rebels waiting for us fifteen miles on the road to Richmondàthey will have to fight or give upà[Fredericksburg, July 1, 1862]àit would not due to let rebels rule over usà[Fredericksburg, July 16, 1862]àI can face the rebels with my rifle every chance I get at themà[Fredericksburg, May 13, 1863]àall is quite on the Rappahannock we can see the rebels drilling on the other sideàthe fields all covered with tents and the timber all but downàacross the river there is the rebel's tents as thick as ours. We can stand and look at the rebels and they can look at us they are strongly entrenchedàclothing I have a plenty and a first rate rifleà[White Sulfur Springs, Aug. 23, 1863]àwe had a review yesterday of our division it looked well but small. The ranks are half in the last campaign. Our Corps lost half its number in the fight at Gettysburg in killed and wounded. That is pretty hard fighting when men stand till half are cut down. Our regiment numbers one hundred and twenty for duty. Our company numbers twenty men for duty. Peckhard is our hospital steward and a very good one. He is too in a fight is right up to the front with us. Canteens full of good water or some kind of liquor and bandages and when a man is shot he will have him carried under a hill out of range and done up his wound and send him to the hospital while the other stewards hang around the hospital till the men are carried in to them where they ain't in any danger. Some bled to death before they can get to the hospital. We will have Peckhard as one of company A if he is hospital steward. He tends to his business and is a good manà[Culpeper, Sept. 9, 63]àour boys that were wounded at Gettysburg are both deadà[Brandy Station, Nov. 23, 63 Mine Run Campaign]àwe have had some fighting to do on the Rappahanock. Our regiment led the advance column. When we came to the river we found the rebels encamped on the other side and seemed to not be aware at our coming. They had a strong picket at the ford and rifle pits to get into. We advanced down to the river in front of their rifle pits which brought us close togetheràthe river between which was about eight rods wideàwe got behind some wood logs that had floated up in high water and when they would rise up in their rifle pits we would give it to them. They got so they would so they would stick their guns over the bank and fire and their bullets would go forty feet over us. Three got up to fire on us and they soon got knocked back two of them killed and the other wounded. While we [were] engagedàthe rest crossed above and below and came in on the flank and gobbled them all up in that rifle pitàthe next day we took the led and had another brush with their rear on Brandy Station's heights but we soon dislodged them they tried to stop us by firing grape and canister at our skirmisher line but we kept onàone of our boys got hit with a shell and cut both legs and has since diedà[Petersburg, July 21, 64]àwe have moved camp out of the reach of the rebel shellàthere is artillery firing on both sides everydayàthe boys on the front line have good breastworks to lay behind so the shell[s] don't have much affect on them. We fought and marched in front from May the 5th till June 26 and the 5th army corps took the front our brigade started with thirty four hundredàand lost in killed, wounded, and missing twenty four hundredàour division lost in proportion to General Birneys divisionàthere is a report in camp today that five hundred rebels came into our lines and gave themselves up. They said they were tired of the war and short of rations as our cavalry had torn up their railroad so they could only get half rationsàthey come into our lines every day in small numbers four and five at a time they say there would more come in, ifàone man did not watch them and shoot them downàthey wait till they go out on picket and when on the front run overàthe pickets are quite close together some places there is now pickets outside the first line of breastworksàsome of the pickets are firing at one another day and nightàand others sit at their ease and look at one another both agreed not to fireàI wish old Abraham Lincoln would draft every Copper Head in the north and send them down hereàGeneral Grant is the man that is going to knock the Confederacy into a cocked hat in the course of a yearàthe rebels thought they had whipped us in the Wilderness but they found Grant with his boys on their flankàthe artillery is booming awayàI don't care how much they bother the rebsà[Petersburg Aug. 24, 64]àwe have been across the James River again on the north side and had some quite sharp fighting and skirmishing for several days. We took four large mortar gunsàthe rebels had to leave them as they were too heavy to get off in a hurry and a quite a large amount of ammunition, but the rebels played quite a sharp trick on us. They scattered powder all round on the ground and run it into the bombproofs that were full of fixed ammunition and we got into the pits to sharp shoot and the fire from our rifles took fire to that on the ground and run in to the ammunition and exploded one of the bombproofs that was full. I was almost over it and I fall flat on my faceàa shower of shell and shot in the air was a sight it was a terrible explosionàas luck would have it not one of our boys got hurt. We got the guns off and seventy boxes of ammunition besides what exploded. We are nowàin the front line of breastworks in Fort Tilson. What the rebels call Fort Hallàin front of us there was thirty one rebels came into our linesàthere are whipped but their leaders will keep them as long as they can they say that if Abraham Lincoln is reelected they will throw down their armsàtheir leaders are going to try and hold out till after electionàwhile we were over the river we killed two generalsàand took two prisoner. One was General Fitzhugh Leeàour loss in killed and wounded over the river was not heavyàthe Fifth Corps went around on the left and got the Weldon Railroad cutting off the rebel's supplies. The rebels charged three times to take it back but was repulsed with heavy lossàthe rebels throw shell over every day and night and mortar shellàwe can see them up in the air a hundred feet and if they are coming closeàrun into our bombproofsàthe rebel pickets and ours are about seven rods apart but don't shoot at each otheràthere sits a rebel picket writing a letter on his kneeà[Petersburg, Nov. 28, 64]àartillery firing most every day and the pickets fire most every nightàthe boys feel first rate and were cheering for Abeà"". Iincludes a war-date A.L.S. from Pvt. Henry McGaffy also of Berdan's Sharpshooters who was wounded at Antietam, mentioning camp news while the regiment was at Petersburg in Dec.1864; a rare A.L.S. from Comrades of the Battlefield to Aldritt in 1892 concerning his loan of war-related writings to the organization; a patriotic song sheet from the Comrades in Battlefield; a blank applicant's list of battles for the Comrades of the Battlefield; a pension document requesting an increase in benefits for Aldritt; various envelopes and modern copies of photographs of Aldritt during the war and after. Service records included. Minor stains, else very good to near fine." 2418 A truly great correspondence of Pvt. Edwin Aldritt, 2nd United States Sharpshooters, Co. A, who enlisted at Fort Snelling in 1861 to serve three years with Berdan's Sharpshooters. A fascinating writer, Aldritt's 19 letter correspondence dates between October 1861 through November 1864 and totals 54pp. varying between 8vo. and 4to. in size. Present at many of the Army of the Potomac's major campaigns, he mentions Gettysburg, Mine Run, and Petersburg, and gives an insightful glimpse into the roll Berdan's Sharpshooters played in these battles. In very small part: ""... [Washington, Oct. 31, 1861]àBerdan's sharpshooters had a fight about a week ago there were seven killed and twenty wounded mostly flesh woundsàwe have green uniforms and Sharps riflesà[Washington, Nov. 7, 61]àwe have not got our guns yet but they have got two kinds to try, Colts revolving rifle and Sharps improved. We rather think we shall take the Sharps improved...[Washington, Feb. 2, 1862]àI have been down to town today and have got my...picture takenàit does not show the color of our green uniformàshould we get in a fight I think we could make them run with Colt's rifles for they shoot straight and plentyà[Washington, Mar. 4, 1862]àwe soon will be on the hills of Manassas Junction picking off the rebelsà[Fredericksburg, May 24, 1862]àwe will stop in Richmond like a knife the rebels will have a hard time of itàthere is fifteen thousand rebels waiting for us fifteen miles on the road to Richmondàthey will have to fight or give upà[Fredericksburg, July 1, 1862]àit would not due to let rebels rule over usà[Fredericksburg, July 16, 1862]àI can face the rebels with my rifle every chance I get at themà[Fredericksburg, May 13, 1863]àall is quite on the Rappahannock we can see the rebels drilling on the other sideàthe fields all covered with tents and the timber all but downàacross the river there is the rebel's tents as thick as ours. We can stand and look at the rebels and they can look at us they are strongly entrenchedàclothing I have a plenty and a first rate rifleà[White Sulfur Springs, Aug. 23, 1863]àwe had a review yesterday of our division it looked well but small. The ranks are half in the last campaign. Our Corps lost half its number in the fight at Gettysburg in killed and wounded. That is pretty hard fighting when men stand till half are cut down. Our regiment numbers one hundred and twenty for duty. Our company numbers twenty men for duty. Peckhard is our hospital steward and a very good one. He is too in a fight is right up to the front with us. Canteens full of good water or some kind of liquor and bandages and when a man is shot he will have him carried under a hill out of range and done up his wound and send him to the hospital while the other stewards hang around the hospital till the men are carried in to them where they ain't in any danger. Some bled to death before they can get to the hospital. We will have Peckhard as one of company A if he is hospital steward. He tends to his business and is a good manà[Culpeper, Sept. 9, 63]àour boys that were wounded at Gettysburg are both deadà[Brandy Station, Nov. 23, 63 Mine Run Campaign]àwe have had some fighting to do on the Rappahanock. Our regiment led the advance column. When we came to the river we found the rebels encamped on the other side and seemed to not be aware at our coming. They had a strong picket at the ford and rifle pits to get into. We advanced down to the river in front of their rifle pits which brought us close togetheràthe river between which was about eight rods wideàwe got behind some wood logs that had floated up in high water and when they would rise up in their rifle pits we would give it to them. They got so they would so they would stick their guns over the bank and fire and their bullets would go forty feet over us. Three got up to fire on us and they soon got knocked back two of them killed and the other wounded. While we [were] engagedàthe rest crossed above and below and came in on the flank and gobbled them all up in that rifle pitàthe next day we took the led and had another brush with their rear on Brandy Station's heights but we soon dislodged them they tried to stop us by firing grape and canister at our skirmisher line but we kept onàone of our boys got hit with a shell and cut both legs and has since diedà[Petersburg, July 21, 64]àwe have moved camp out of the reach of the rebel shellàthere is artillery firing on both sides everydayàthe boys on the front line have good breastworks to lay behind so the shell[s] don't have much affect on them. We fought and marched in front from May the 5th till June 26 and the 5th army corps took the front our brigade started with thirty four hundredàand lost in killed, wounded, and missing twenty four hundredàour division lost in proportion to General Birneys divisionàthere is a report in camp today that five hundred rebels came into our lines and gave themselves up. They said they were tired of the war and short of rations as our cavalry had torn up their railroad so they could only get half rationsàthey come into our lines every day in small numbers four and five at a time they say there would more come in, ifàone man did not watch them and shoot them downàthey wait till they go out on picket and when on the front run overàthe pickets are quite close together some places there is now pickets outside the first line of breastworksàsome of the pickets are firing at one another day and nightàand others sit at their ease and look at one another both agreed not to fireàI wish old Abraham Lincoln would draft every Copper Head in the north and send them down hereàGeneral Grant is the man that is going to knock the Confederacy into a cocked hat in the course of a yearàthe rebels thought they had whipped us in the Wilderness but they found Grant with his boys on their flankàthe artillery is booming awayàI don't care how much they bother the rebsà[Petersburg Aug. 24, 64]àwe have been across the James River again on the north side and had some quite sharp fighting and skirmishing for several days. We took four large mortar gunsàthe rebels had to leave them as they were too heavy to get off in a hurry and a quite a large amount of ammunition, but the rebels played quite a sharp trick on us. They scattered powder all round on the ground and run it into the bombproofs that were full of fixed ammunition and we got into the pits to sharp shoot and the fire from our rifles took fire to that on the ground and run in to the ammunition and exploded one of the bombproofs that was full. I was almost over it and I fall flat on my faceàa shower of shell and shot in the air was a sight it was a terrible explosionàas luck would have it not one of our boys got hurt. We got the guns off and seventy boxes of ammunition besides what exploded. We are nowàin the front line of breastworks in Fort Tilson. What the rebels call Fort Hallàin front of us there was thirty one rebels came into our linesàthere are whipped but their leaders will keep them as long as they can they say that if Abraham Lincoln is reelected they will throw down their armsàtheir leaders are going to try and hold out till after electionàwhile we were over the river we killed two generalsàand took two prisoner. One was General Fitzhugh Leeàour loss in killed and wounded over the river was not heavyàthe Fifth Corps went around on the left and got the Weldon Railroad cutting off the rebel's supplies. The rebels charged three times to take it back but was repulsed with heavy lossàthe rebels throw shell over every day and night and mortar shellàwe can see them up in the air a hundred feet and if they are coming closeàrun into our bombproofsàthe rebel pickets and ours are about seven rods apart but don't shoot at each otheràthere sits a rebel picket writing a letter on his kneeà[Petersburg, Nov. 28, 64]àartillery firing most every day and the pickets fire most every nightàthe boys feel first rate and were cheering for Abeà"". Iincludes a war-date A.L.S. from Pvt. Henry McGaffy also of Berdan's Sharpshooters who was wounded at Antietam, mentioning camp news while the regiment was at Petersburg in Dec.1864; a rare A.L.S. from Comrades of the Battlefield to Aldritt in 1892 concerning his loan of war-related writings to the organization; a patriotic song sheet from the Comrades in Battlefield; a blank applicant's list of battles for the Comrades of the Battlefield; a pension document requesting an increase in benefits for Aldritt; various envelopes and modern copies of photographs of Aldritt during the war and after. Service records included. Minor stains, else very good to near fine.
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