2008-09
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/31/2008
A nice war-date Union soldier's letter, 4pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. Charles L. Hewitt, Co. E, 7th Conn. Vols., Bermuda Hundred, [Va.], May 28, 1864 concerning the arrival of troops and of being strongly entrenched, reading, in part: "…The 19th has not arrived here yet, and I guess they wont come. They must have gone to the front. The 18th Army Corps has too left here. I don't know where they have gone. The 10th Army Corps is all that there is left here, but we are well entrenched…10 times our number can't [couldn't] drive us out of them with the help of the gunboats. The report here is that the rebs have not got much force in front of us, but they have got entrenchments as well as we have, and I guess by the looks of things, that there will not be any advance on either side. We have first rate times doing picket duty now. A flag of truce went out the other day, and it was agreed that the pickets were not to fire at each other, so now we don't have to keep covered when we are on picket, but stand and look at each other for we can't talk with them. The officers won't let us….Old Grant is giving them fits, and I guess the rebs in Richmond are trembling in their shoes, if they have got any….We don't hear a shot only once in an hour or two. The gunboats will fire a shell over to the rebs to keep them awake…I will close by sending my love to you all and to Susan Wakefield, and tell her that I have seen Ira S. Wakefield…he is in the 1st Conn. Heavy Artillery. They are encamped about half a mile from us…". Also included is the original transmittal cover. Hewitt served throughout the war fighting at the battles of Fort Wagner, Olustee, Florida, Bermuda Hundred before he was discharged in late 1864.
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