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CIVIL WAR CORRESPONDENCE OF PVT. JUNIUS N. SPRATEY, 13TH VIRGINIA CAVALRY

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Militaria Start Price:350.00 USD Estimated At:700.00 - 800.00 USD
CIVIL WAR CORRESPONDENCE OF PVT. JUNIUS N. SPRATEY, 13TH VIRGINIA CAVALRY
A good correspondence of four letters dating between March 11, 1862 and Jan 31, 1863 written by Junius Sprately of the 13th Virginia Cavalry to his sister Rebecca in Surrey County, Virginia. His letters read, in small part: "[Petersburg, Mar. 11, 1862] …The Governor has issued a proclamation ordering out all the militia in Virginia and I expect we will start now for our place of rendezvous. We are ordered to report to General Huger at Norfolk. You may look out now for the war to come to a close for when the bloody 39th gets after the Yanks, they will be sure to squander. You need not be surprised to hear of our Capturing Burnside and the whole of his fleet… I suppose our arms will be corn stalks and brick bats and you know no army can resist such formidable weapons as those… [Brandy Station, Nov. 1, 1862] … We have been put in a brigade of calvary commanded by Gen. Fitzhugh Lee and it is thought we will be sent to Stewart's Division soon… we captured 18 of the enemy; that was at Manassis rite [sic] on the old battle grounds we then started back for camp some 15 miles distant and when within four miles of camp were surprised by a scouting party who had ambushed us and found a perfect storm of Bullets into us before we knew anything … routed the Yankees in less than no time capturing three and killing a Captain. The Captain was killed by Major Belches. The Captain took three deliberate shots at the major before he fired on him but the second shot from the major brought him down… [Ocuapica, Va., Jan. 27, 1863] …we are now on the Rappahanock about 40 miles from Fredericksburg … we expect to move again some time this week to a small village in King and Queen County called Stevensville… we have had some few cases of [of smallpox] in our regiment … all of us have been vaccinated and every precaution taken to keep it from spreading … [Burnside] is now passing off his time in sending out partys [sic] to liberate the salves and taking the farmers horses … we have had one auction but things sold higher at auction than what they could have been bought privately so we have concluded not to get another Blockader to auction off his goods and pay him what he asks if he has anything we want… [Ocupacia, Va., Jan. 31, 1863] …thought we would move to King and Queen County, but order countermanded… expecting a fight at Fredericksburg soon… the Government does not furnish with but a quarter of a pound of pork a day now…" Offered together with a letter of Major James Walter Spartely who served as Quartermaster for Gen. Franklin Gardner written as a prisoner of war at Johnson's Island, Ohio also to Rebecca Sprately in Virginia, Feb. 28, 1864. Spartely was captured at Port Hudson and the letter complains of the monotony of prison life: "…Letters are the only alleviators of the monotony of our prison life - If it were not for my cousins in New Orleans I know not what I would do - They write me regularly every week…" Letters bear the expected folds, some light toning and later ink emendations identifying the addressee, else very good. Together, five pieces.