Thin Ranks in the Union Army After Cold Harbor

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/31/2006

A nice war-date Union officer's, 2pp. 8vo., letter written in pencil by Lt. William H. Broughton, Co. D, 16th Maine Vols., "In the line of battle [Petersburg, Va.], June 26, 1864" to his father concerning events before Cold Harbor and Petersburg, reading, in part: "…since my last we have lost two officers (Capt. Stevens, killed, and Lieut. Thompson, wounded) and 17 men (6 killed, 11 wounded). All these have been lost by sharpshooters…I can't see as we have gained anything since we left Cold Harbor…the move from there was a failure…it would have been a success if the forces which first arrived at Petersburg had taken it…the Army of the Potomac had been almost two months fighting and marching…we came down [the] day before yesterday to relieve Gibbons Division of the 2nd Corps I saw enough to convince me that the division was demoralized. I believe our Corps is at present the most reliable Corps in the Army for the very reason that we yet have officers enough to handle the men. What I mean by demoralized is the organization is broken. We are now in the 1st Brigade, 3rd Div., 5th Corps. The Div[ision] is commanded by Gen. [Samuel] Crawford…". Ten days after his sixteenth birthday, Broughton enlisted in 1862 as a private in the 16th Maine. He became one of the army's youngest officers by being promoted to lieutenant by the end of the year. After the battle of Gettysburg, he commanded a company due to the heavy losses his regiment sustained during the battle. He served faithfully throughout the remainder of the war and was captured at the battle of Weldon Railroad, Va. on Aug. 13, 1864, and was paroled after being held a short time at Libby prison. He was discharged on June 5, 1865. Light soiling, else very good.

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