889

ILLUSTRATED BATTLE OF PETERSBURG TELEGRAPHIST'S LETTER

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Militaria Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 300.00 USD
ILLUSTRATED BATTLE OF PETERSBURG TELEGRAPHIST'S LETTER
War-date latter of Pvt. James R. Hussey, Co. K, 1st Maine Cavalry (POW June 24, 1864, died a prisoner), 5pp. 8to., "Bermuda Hundred", June 13, 1864 to his brother. Written during the first attacks on the forts outside Petersburg, Hussey's company is on detached duty, telegraphing messages from the woods to the fort. In this letter he had drawn a small picture of the fort, with position of tents, another drawing of tents with a soldier and trees and a simple sketch showing the position of the Rebel and Union breastworks. He writes: "...I am on telegraph line. It is the best time I have had since I came in this show. The rebels are near now, but I don't care for them. I am not afraid of the rebels. I shall get my horse in a short time and when I do, I shall go on a raid. The boys have gone today to try and take Petersburg. i don't know how they will come out. Our Company is on telegraph, so they could not go. I don't care whether I go or not on a raid. The rebels drove us into the fort the other day by shelling us. We shelled them and then they had to stop. We had a fight the other day and we killed one Rebel Colonel and four or five other men. The Rebel Colonel had a gold watch and we took that from him and then the rebels came and got him...I think we will have a fight here soon...We had to tear our tents down last night for fear they would come and take this place from us and then they would have a hiding place...telegraph line tents are built in this way. Three to a tent. It is about half mile from the fort to the woods....There is ten tents from the woods to the fort. We telegraph from the woods to the fort...our breastworks are four miles long...four feet high..." Small mouse chew at lower right edge of firstpage affects one word, else very good.

Estimate: $200 - 300.

Download Our Current PDF Auction Catalog

Part I: Lots 1-979 - September 27th, 2012

Part II: Lots 980-1845 - September 28th, 2012