2006-06
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/31/2006
A rare war-date Union soldier's, 4pp. 8vo., letter written in ink by Sgt. William J. Place, Co. K, 89th New York Vols., Folly Island, S. C., Aug. 4, 1863 to his uncle concerning Union General Gilmore's preparation to capture Fort Wagner, reading, in part: "…we are now in camp about eight miles from Fort Sumpter. I went within three miles of the fort yesterday to carry rations to…our brigade is there…building a fort…as soon as that is done…the rebs will have to leave Fort Sumpter and Wagner…the rebs cannot tell where our men are a building the fort for it is in the woods…they keep shelling the woods but it does our men no injury…the fort when…done will have thirteen guns two and three hundred pounders…General Gilmore is confident [that] when he opens on them…he can [k]nock those two forts in[to] pieces within twenty four hours…orders have been given for all of the forts to be in readiness…our regt is now doing provost only but as soon as there is any fighting to do we shall be ordered to the front…that is the place for me in battle. Our regt have been in nine battles and I have never receive as much as a scratch yet…I may possibly get a clip one of theses days but I shall never desert my post…I will close this and go down and have a little swim…". Within one month Fort Wagner was attacked by a fleet of ironclads and Gilmore's siege guns and was evacuated by the Confederates that night. As luck would have it, Place survived the war without being "clipped" and was mustered out in October 1864. VG.
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