Raynors HCA 2017-12
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/7/2017
War-date Confederate Autograph Letter Signed by Captain Benjamin Franklin White, 6th North Carolina Infantry, WIA at 2nd Manassas and at Gettysburg, later taken prisoner of war, 6-1/2pp. quarto, March 25, 1862, Camp Bartow, and reads in part: “...A short time after the Battle of Manassas, 20,000 were absent from the Army of the Potomac on furlough. Our own Regiment was reduced to a mere skeleton. I have never applied for a longer absence than two days. I supposed you have heard about our retreat on falling back from Winchester, Leesburg, Centerville, Evansport and Aquia Creek. I was certain months ago that it would be a necessity. Our military lines were parallel with the Potomac. The enemy were west and north of Winchester. ...The falling back was a military necessity. The roads were such that our teams had long been broken down in hauling provisions. We had to leave many of the cannon at Evansport....We fired our encampment and burned up everything except what the country people carried off. At Manassas all the buildings were burnt....The Yankees lied when they said they found tents and accomadations at Manassas for 100,000 men....There were not accomadations there for more than a few thousand. And they were certainly burnt. Our Military men made a great mistake in putting up such expensive hospitals and depots at Manassas. In case of our attack the patients would have to move. It would have been much better to have put the hospital at our near Louisa Court House or Richmond, when supplies and medicine could be more easily obtained...The enemy soon sent forward their scouts. 100 of their best cavalry and 200 infantry come to Brentsville County of Pr. William. They found a found in Roseberry, a Yankee who had settled near there. He piloted them to the houses of Southern men, and they robbed and plundered, taking such things as they wanted. They were on the search for the Pr. William cavalry....” More. Fine condition.
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