Raynors HCA 2020-02
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/27/2020
Confederate officer's letter written by "G(ilbert) G. Guillette, 2nd Lt. Co-G. 1st Md Battal." who enlisted on 2/21/1862 at Norfolk, VA as a Private, on 12/15/1862 he transferred into "G" Co. MD 2nd Infantry, POW 8/19/1864 Weldon Railroad, confined 8/27/1864 Fort Delaware, DE. The 2-page letter is datelined Hd Qty Army Northern VA, Camp Near Dartksville, July 19th, 1863. In part, " .... We have had a brilliant campaign. To commence with we have been through a large portion of Pennsylvania and part of Maryland and fought one of the hardest Battles of war in which we gained complete victory. But the Yankees say that they gained a victory, if so why do they admit of so great a loss, for ours is not one 4th what they admit that they lost. Our Battal was in the hottest of the fight and we made a charge in which I am very sorry to say poor Whit fell wounded but I hope not mortally. We could not get him from the field. The battle lasted for 3 days and we drove them from our breastworks every day for if you drove them from one they were sure to build another at night. Their loss was immense. If their victory was such as what they claim they will have no army soon if such fights happen often. .... why does not Gill write more but he is afraid that it will fall into the hand of the enemy so he does not want them to gain any information from him." During the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863, Culp's Hill was a critical part of the Union Army defensive line, the principal feature of the right flank, or "barbed" portion of what is described as the "fish-hook" line. Holding the hill was by itself unimportant because its heavily wooded sides made it unsuitable for artillery placement, but its loss would have been catastrophic to the Union army. It dominated Cemetery Hill and the Baltimore Pike, the latter being critical for keeping the Union army supplied and for blocking any Confederate advance on Baltimore or Washington, D.C
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