13th New Hampshire Letter Group

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/27/2020

Group of seventeen (17) Union soldier letters penned by Lemuel Foss, 13th New Hampshire Infantry and 23 other letters written to him and family. Private Foss' letters read in part: "...[Newport News, Va 2/16/1863]Freman Demeritt died and was buried here, his grave is just below our camping ground. The wrecks of the Congress and Cumberland that were stoven up by the rebel gunboat Merrimac last March lay in the river just at our right. The Congress snug into shore and the Cumberland further out in the river…[2/24/63]It is expected that th e artillery and the 11 Reg is lost for is time they were here, and nothing can be heard from them…[Camp near Portsmouth, Va. 5/25/1863] You wanted me to write you if Amaziah [Foss, 13th NH Infantry DOW 5/7/63 Providence Church Road, Virginia] had his leg amputated. He had his leg amputated just above his knee. I should have written you before he died but we all thought he was getting along well until the last day and I thought I would wait until he got better before I told you that his leg had been taken off. You said you got news Tuesday that Amaziah was dead, but if you did someone wrote so before he died...for he did not die until Monday afternoon at 3 ½ oclock... [8/3/63]You say the Copperheads of New Hampshire are agoing to offer resistance to the draft. I don't think there will be much trouble in subduing them for we have sent a force of nine men and a Lieut home to bring them out and I guess they can do it...we need some men to fill up our regt for we have got hardly men enough to do our guard duty…[9/4/63]They have drummed one of our Regt out of the service today after a confinement of three months...for robbing dead soldiers at Fredericksburg last winter. He belonged to our company his name is Willey and is from Barrington…[11/11/63]Joseph H. Prime has got his commission and gone to join his company and Regt which is at Baltimore, Md. It makes quiet a difference in his pay being a rise from $13 to $110.50 per month, something to be looked at if it does come by being in a black regt. But any rate is good enough so that I would try it if I were only well enough…[7/10/64]I had not been in camp more than 15 minutes before I saw one man killed and four more wounded. You must not think strange if I make some few mistakes for I have other things to look out for as well as my writing. Whizz goes a shell by the tree that I am sitting behind throwing the dirt in every direction. It is rather rough but nothing after one gets used to it…[12/2/64]You wanted me to write how many pieces of bone had come out of my leg. There were three pieces came off the bone before the flesh formed over it and once since the flesh has formed. It does not bleed now and is healing fast...With regards to a discharge I couldn't get one if I wanted to besides I am not anxious to have one for my three years will be up next Sept and I dont think I will be able to do much in 'Uncle Sam's line of business' in that time anyway…" Most very good or better condition...plus; Letters by Union soldiers Amaziah Foss, Frank Foss, Joseph Prime and others. A nice 13th New Hampshire soldier archive.

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