Raynors HCA 2017-12
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/7/2017
War-date Union soldier’s diary, 44pp. octavo, missing covers, and disbound, kept by a soldier in the 29th Regiment M.V., starting May 10, 1862 it continues through July 4,1862, with battle content pertaining to Fair Oaks, it reads in part: “...started towards Fortress Monroe...the marines gave us three cheers...rested half of us, when the shrill voice of Col. Pierce was heard ‘attention! Battalion!’...just outside the breastwokrs built by Georgia Troops... were called into line several times, on account of picket firing, but the firing did not continue only a few minutes each time...Our brigade Meaghers, Irish Brigade went up to reinforce Porter arriving there just before sunset...we went into the battlefield with a yell or rather a number of them. The Rebels seeing we the Federals were reinforced and probably seein the green flags coming and hearing our cheers fell back and soon after we formed in line of battle...We started double quick for the battle field where the rest of the brigade were fighitng; formed line of battle...Our artillery were ‘playing lively’ throwing their death missles with such good effect that the rebels could not ‘stand it’ and fell back as we advanced. On our way we met numbers who had just been woulnded some in the hand, others in the legs, other in other parts of the body and they shouted to us to ‘give it to them’’we are driving them’ ‘give them the cold steel’ and other expressions, which indicated their feelings at that time. The discharge of muskets was continual. Such steady and continuous fired is seldom heard. One man [Private George Davis Brown] was instantly killed while lying down by a bullet which went into his head. He belonged to Co. C...The musketry continued until dark, but the artillery continued to throw a shell occassionaly till about nine oclock....” More. Very good condition. The 29th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union army of the United States during the American Civil War. The regiment took part in 29 battles and four sieges in a variety of theaters of the war. After their early service at Fortress Monroe in Virginia, the 29th was attached, in the spring of 1862, to the Army of the Potomac during the Peninsular Campaign as part of the famed Irish Brigade. The 29th had the distinction of being the only regiment of non-Irish ethnicity to serve in that brigade. In January 1863, the IX Corps (including the 29th Massachusetts) was transferred to Kentucky and engaged in operations against Confederate guerillas. In the summer of 1863, the IX Corps was again transferred and took part in the Siege of Vicksburg and the Siege of Jackson, Mississippi. In the fall of 1863, IX Corps took part in the Knoxville Campaign which resulted in the defeat of Confederate forces in eastern Tennessee. The spring of 1864 saw the IX Corps and the 29th Massachusetts once again returned to duty with the Army of the Potomac, just in time to take part in the Overland Campaign and the Siege of Petersburg. During the Siege of Petersburg, the unit suffered their worst casualties of the war in the Battle of Fort Stedman on March 25, 1865.
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