Raynors HCA 2019-05
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/30/2019
War-date Union soldier Autograph Letter Signed by Calvin Rice, 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, 6pp. octavo, pencil, James Island, June 17, 1862, with cover addressed to Oscar Rice in Boston, Mass, and reads in part: “...We are near Charleston and have plenty of fighting. If we can get this island then Charleston might as well cave in. But there has got to be some hard fighting before we get it. And we have got to have more troops. Yesterday we had a very hard fight lasting from 3 to 4 hours. Our troops engaged was the Mass 28, 3rd N.H., 47th N.Y, 46th N.Y., 97th Penn, 3rd RI, Mich 8th with 6 or 8 pieces of artillery...Our troops fought bravely and desperate. They drove back the rebels and the 3rd NH charged on a large battery. They charged up a road when about half way up two masked batteries opened on them and mowed them down awfully, but still they charged on and kept the rebels from their guns for an hour. But we could not get the fort on account of a large duct, 20 foot wide mud 10 foot deep. The rebels was reiforced twice during the fight, once outnumbered us 3 to 1. We had not troops enough and had to fall back. The 97th Penn covered the retreat in good shape and the Generals praised them for it. The rebels hurrahed and yelled Bull’s Run. Our boys turned round and let up at them and thanked them how they liked the looks of Yorktown. As great numbers as they was, they did not dare follow us up. They are the D-- cowards you ever saw. We have got one that we caught killing the wounded and they have to have 12 men to guard him. One of the men got an ax and if he had got at him he would have killed him. The men was around the tent in crowds and if they could only get at him theere would not a piece as large as 3 cent bit left. There was four of our Cav wounded in the fight. They was acting as orderlies for the Generals which we have got. There is four of them. Gen. Wright, Gen. Benham, Gen. Stevens and Gen. Williams when last was our former colonel. Our lost as far as known now is about 500 killed and wounded and there must be a large number of rebels killed because our boys fought like devils...I tell you I have seen some rough sights, men with their legs blown off, arms and heads...” Fine condition. The Battle of Secessionville (or the First Battle of James Island) was fought on June 16, 1862, during the American Civil War. Confederate forces defeated the Union's only attempt to capture Charleston, South Carolina, by land.
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