17 Page Antietam Campaign Letter with Battle Content

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/30/2019

War-date Union soldier Autograph Letter Signed by Sgt. Frank M. Kelly, 44th New York Infantry, 17pp. octavo, pencil, Shepherdstown Ford, September 22, 1862, and reads in part: “...We soon saw first a dead horse and then another and then a tree torn to pieces by shell and a fenc torn down, pretty soon a dead rebel lying down in the gutter and then another, and pretty soon a horse and rider and then a dozen laid out on rails all rebels and when we got to the top of mountain I gave up counting them and got through the cut as quick as possible and the sight was awful...came to a little place called Keysville and here we found we were with the whole Army...Well we went on until we came to the front line and have the batteries were feeling for the enemy and found them a great force. We laid here Tuesday night and every man thought of the coming battle and knew not what his fate might be. Wednesday morning we were called up 3 o’clock and get our breakfast 6 o’clock the battle commenced and our Brigade was ordered to support the main battery in the center. We did it. The enemy tried to take it but they could not do it. The battle shifted on the right against Hooker. Here the battle was terrible until afternoon when it shifted to the left against Burnside and we came very near getting beat there, but two charges saved us and we held our ground and beat them. We drove them on the right and why? Because General McClellan had the right and Burnside the left. We went to the extreme right and left both as supports and at night shift in the field. Next morning we went on the left Thursday and laid there all day and night, on Friday morn we advanced and went through Sharpsburg over the battlefield and right was awful indeed, our loss was heavy and the rebels terrible. The people said the Rebs carried off 500 wagons of dead to the other side of the Potomac, so as to blind us. We kept on until we came to the Potomac and our batteries shelled them as they crossed and their loss was heavy. We did not cross that night (Friday night) we slept on a field near the banks of the Potomac. Next morning we went down to the river and some of our troops had crossed but contrary to orders and one Brigade had crossed and we partly and then the rebels opened on us. We had orders to return. This we did under a storm of bullets and good mnay of our men were wounded. We came back to this side and had orders to defend it from the rebel crossing...” Much more. Fine condition.

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