49. [Civil War – Letters from the Front]. An important and moving collection of 31 letters from Union soldiers (and one wife) detailing their lives and the war from the prospective of the ordinary soldier during the War Between the States. From the early euphoria and confidence of a quick and easy victory to the bloody battles of Gettysburg, Cedar Creek, the long siege of Petersburg, the Red River Campaign, cold, disease, to the desire to finish enlistments and just get home…the story of the soldiers of the American Civil War. Many of the letters include transmittal envelopes. Some highlights herewith:

A group of seven letters from a young Vermont man named Edward to his Aunt back home in Bennington Vermont. The time frame covers 14 November 1862 to 3 November 1864. He was assigned to the headquarters 14th Regiment of Vermont Volunteers:
8 February 1863. Camp near Fairfax, Virginia. Edward writes that camp life is still not burdensome. He relates a fellow soldier dying from typhoid. He explains to his aunt that he is not all that upset about his fiancé breaking off his engagement. The letter ends with his observation of some Confederate prisoners, Some prisoners taken out at Chantilly, the other day passing through the Court House heard the band playing. One of them exclaimed, “You have pretty good music here but it cant free the niggers.
9 March 1863. The letter contains reports on military actions. Most of the four page letter is a detailed account of one of the most daring rebel raids by the infamous Captain John “the Grey Ghost” Mosby. Written vertically in one margin is Capt Moseby went into the Generals room, waked the Gen up & said “ General you are my prisoner… At the end of the letter Edward adds this note: Capt Moseby [sic] is the name of the Rebel that took the Gen. he left his card on the table in the Gen’s room & wrote his name on the wall. The incident was the 8 March 1863 taking of Vermont General Edwin Stoughton.
5 May 1863. Wolf Run Shoals, Virginia. Edward’s letters now have more descriptions of actions and the day-to-day miseries of war. He thinks about the wounded still on the battlefield from the rebel raid and Union rescue…but most of all I feel for the poor fellows who may be lying tonight, wet and hungry & bleeding, in puddles of water, & pools of blood on the terrible field of Battle. Oh! War is indead [sic] a horrible thing.
3 November 1864. Georgetown, D.C. Transferred to the War Department Edward relays an event that he witnessed. I was passing the President’s house yesterday just as Mrs Lincoln rode up to the door in her carriage & stoped [sic] a moment to see her get out. Her carriage is no more Elegant than hundreds that come out of the livery stables…Some workmen were at work on the front of the house, and youngest Lincoln hopefull [likely Thomas “Tad” Lincoln], dressed in very fine broadcloth, but with a frightfully snotty nose, and dirty hands was running about there. I heard one of the workmen telling him not to do something, and he retorted very disdainfully “ I’d like to know what business you’ve got to order me, ain’t my father President?”

A group of 14 letters from Daniel Sanborn to his wife Delila in Hiram Maine from 12 February 1862 to 7 December 1864. Daniel Sanborn was a private in the Company C of the 19th Regiment of Maine Volunteer Infantry:
3 August 1863. Sanborn gives a detailed and graphic account of an after-battle description of the dead and wounded concerning the 19th Maine Infantry’s participation in the area of Little Round Top: . . .gettisburg, everyman stood his ground. I tell you Delila that was a hard fought battle and if you could have gone on to the battle ground you would not want to see any more of this war…every barn and house and shed was used for hosputable [sic] for the wounded. I went through them until I saw so much I did not want to see any more. The men was wounded in every [illegible] you could think of… He includes an account of watching the surgeons cutting off legs and arms the same as we cut meet [sic].
June 19 [1864]. Camp near Farefax [sic] Station. Sanborn writes about his unit crossing the old bulls run battle field. the last battle was faught about one year a gow. There was the worst sight that I have seen since I have ben out here…if you could see that field whare they buried our dead they did not dig into the ground any but they throwed a little dirt over them on the top of the ground and now you can see legs arms and scul bones all out of the ground…
28 June 1864. Camp near Pettersburg. Sanborn writes during the first month of the siege of Petersburg. After two years in the service Daniel Sanborn has becomes very upset whenever he does not get letters from home and like many soldiers at this time is becoming weary of the war, but they, on the front lines, understand the rebels are still full of fight and that hard fighting remains. Oh Delila I hope this campaign will end the war.it seems as that hare had been fighting enough to satisfy any one now but I surpose thare will have to be some hard fighting yeat before the rebs will give up but give up they must sooner or latter…
25 [September] 1864. Camp near Pettersburg. Sanborn is counting the time until he can go home (10 months, although he hopes the war will be over by then) although there exists an inducement to reenlist of 1,000 dollars and he wants to know his wife’s thoughts on that.

Individual letters:
Four pages from a log/diary from 1 October to 3 December 1864 by an unnamed Captain most likely with the 10th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He describes marching up the Shenandoah Valley From Harrisonburg, Woodstock, Strasburg, Front Royal and on to Alexandria and Washington. He describes his unit’s participation in the Battle of Cedar Creek on 19 October 1864, We were aroused by firing on our left, Early had surprised the 19th Corps and doubled up our line. Org Reg. was soon packed up without orders, and in line facing the creek. Sergeant Parkercott…and many others were killed instantly. A terrible day. Col Henry was the coolest man in our vicinity, and with a handful of men rallied to save a piece of artillery that was being left…(Colonel William Wirt Henry would latter be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.) An entry from 8 November, Presidential election in the army. The 10th Vt. Cast 194 votes for Lincoln & 12 for McClellan…
One page from a diary 23 July 1862. Likely describing action along the Potomac some five miles south of Washington…Whole brigade commanded to start…down to the boats…to move down the river again. Most are sick with swamp fever. First day on the boats 27 burried…fired on by rebel battery of Lt. artillery about 5 miles below Washington a captain of the Vt. 7th regt. Was killed and three wounded…
Letter from a wife to her husband in a field hospital 19 April 1863 expressing her concern of all the bad news and the conditions of the ordinary privates in the field…I wish President Lincoln, his cabinet, the thousand and one major and brigadier generals were obliged to fare as the privates have to and sleep out of doors every night through the winter…
18 July 1860 Headquarters Company B 38th Regiment W.G.S.V Washington. On stationery with an imprinted American Flag with the admonition, “If any one attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot.” With a transmittal envelope also with an American flag with “Death to Traitors.” This early letter from a new recruit to his brother makes clear the North thought this would be a quick and easy fight, …We are as lively as if we were going to a dance when they call us out in line of battle. They called us out about midnight one time and you ought to have seen the boys how they asked to see some blood shed but we won’t come to that in this war. The soldiers have left Harper’s Ferry…I saw Stuart here today and he says we will all be home in three months again…
26 October 1862, Beaufort, S.C. On stationery embossed with an eagle and shield with “Union and Constitution” over the eagle, soldier A.C. Taggart writes his mother back in Temple, New Hampshire concerning his participation in the 22 October effort by Union General Ormsby Mitchel to sever the railway link between Savannah and Charleston (led from the Union’s bases in Beaufort and Port Royal, SC)…I have been in one battle since I wrot last…we landed…on the main land about 25 miles from Hilton Head and seven miles from the Charleston and Savannah railroad…we did not see…any signs of the rebels til we got …miles from whair we landed when they opend a fire on us…our regt formed in line of battle and charged at them on the doublequick…but they made another stand…we fought them til sundown and then we had to retreat back to where we start from in the morning…we then went on board of the boats again and got back here the other night…I do not knough the names of the killed and wounded in our regt there is 28 wounded and killed the loss in the regt is nothing to what it is in the othr regts…As young Mr. Taggart wrote, the effort was ultimately unsuccessful as PT Beauregard’s troops pushed them back to their boats.
26 May 1864, Neworleans. A brother (one A. Richardson) just having taken part in the fighting of the Red River Campaign writes to his sister and updates her on his condition and others that she knows…Dear Sister it has been some time iv written you for the reason have had no chance to write we have been on the move for some time and some fighting to do. Have retreated back from grandecore in grate haste the rebbles atacting us in the rear most evry day…we had to ford the cane reiver to fight one battle…we went on the woods and soon found the devel, which we routed with considerable loss to the 30th…Fesenten was wounded but none of the balwin boys were hurt…I was taken with the direrea up to Alexandria [Louisiana] …thare is not but two left in the regt from Baldwin Aaron and Abion Richardson so you see we have had a hard time of it but think the hardest is over this summer…
Letter from a former soldier under R.E. Lee 2 July 1870. A former CSA soldier in the artillery writes to R.E. Lee in Lexington Virginia for an endorsement to enable him to get financing from the north for a machine he had invented and wishes to get to market.
$3,000 - $5,000