Raynors HCA 2017-02
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/23/2017
A good war-date Union soldier's letter, 4pp. 4to., written by Pvt. Henry H. Fulton, Co. E, 20th Ohio Vols. [shot by Rebel guerrillas near Pine Level, N. C.,4/10/65; DOW Raleigh, 4/12/65], "Bovina, Miss., July 8, 1863," to his father, in part: "…Ed [Knox the man he accidentally shot] is now gone up the river and will perhaps get home soon. He is getting along well. His wound is not well…and he cant walk any but said he could sit up in his cot and write…I don't think it will injure him any. I was glad to hear from Ed for I was very uneasy about him. He was in a bad condition when he left here. It was but a flesh wound but the ball passed through the lower part of the bowels and when he left his bowels were very much swollen and I was afraid inflammation would set in. He said Henry Fulton and his wife had been to see him…he did not say anything about Henry coming here as a reporter…Vicksburg…surrendered on the 4th of July with all the artillery, men, munitions of war etc so this Southern Gibraltar, this Western Sevastopol is our at last. It cost a struggle but it is the greatest victory since the war began. We captured 31,000 prisoners, 17 generals, nearly 100 pieces of artillery, 40,000 stand of small arms, three trains of cars and several locomotives. Sherman & McClerand's corps have crossed Black river and are now after Johnson. I saw 11 prisoners this morning from Johnson's army. They were taken near Champion Hill battle ground and report Johnson retreating towards Jackson where he will make a stand. They say he has 40,000 men. We moved out camp to Bovina a station on the rail-road ten miles from Vicksburg…it is a hilly country…Gen. Logan has command of the post of Vicksburg and his troops are all in there except this brigade…we will go in as soon as the prisoners are paroled and leave. I saw the 76 regt…they marched past our camp…what do the people think of the surrender of Vicksburg. What affect do you think it will have on the war. I think Port Hudson will surrender soon and we will then have the Miss. river clear…we were all glad to hear from Morg[an] Beaver. We thought he was dead. We had not heard from him since we left him at Berry's Landing…Lieut. [John G.] Stevenson…is our 2nd Lieut. and [is] first rate fellow. [William H.] Jacobs is now our captain. We had a Capt. Wilson…but Jacobs was not satisfied so he went to the Col and got Wilson transferred to another company and he come in as captain of Company E. [Harrison] Wilson [Lt. Col. 1/27/65] was a universal favorite and there wasn't anyone satisfied when he left. He would have staid with us if it had not been for Jacobs. We like Jacobs well enough only when there is a fight on hand…then he is somewhere else. When we were at the Battle of Raymond Jacobs got sick and went to an ambulance and Lieut. Stevenson got wounded in the first of the fight so we went through [the battle] without any officers…at Champion Hill Jacobs did not have time to leave the company. We got into the fight before we knew it and then he acted the coward and at Vicksburgh he was sick until he thought the hard fighting was over and we had breastworks built to protect him, but he uses the company well and me in particular. He is very friendly with me. Tell Newton to let Pennsylvania fight their own battle and him to stay at home. War is not what it is cracked up to be…[if] he would lay out in the rain a few nights he would find out so…Henry." The original stamped transmittal cover is included. VG
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