Five Letters Written by Wiley

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/23/2012

Includes, 4pp. quarto, Camp 104 NYSV, Goose Creek, Virginia, November 2, 1862, and reads in part:” ...We left our camp near Waterford yesterday morning and marched to this place. We passed through the little village of Hamilton’s Church where we halted a short time and we had an opportunity to converse with several ladies some of which seemed to be very glad that an army had come into Virginia again. One old lady told me that all the best young men in the whole neighborhood went into the army and a great many of them had been killed or had died from disease. She pointed to a house the nearest one to us, and said that they had lost a son in the war, and that he was one of the first young men in the county. This part of Virginia is very different from any that I have ever seen before...There has never been many troops through here and the people all wondered at the sight as we passed along. Our Division passed Burnside’s Corp at Waterford so we are now in the advance with the exception of Gen. Pleasanton’s Cavalry which is about 8 miles in advance of us. They are near Snicker’s Gap. All day yesterday we could hear cannonading in the direction of Snicker’s Gap...This morning we can hear the cannonading again, it sounds further off than it did yesterday. Pleasanton had a skirmish with some rebel cavalry near the place day before yesterday and drove them several miles....I am told the Rebels captured four company of Pleasanton cavalry day before yesterday while on picket...It is said that Burnsides has command this part of the army but I do not know how that is at any rate we are with Burnsides column and most likely we are under him now....”More with mention of Generals McCellan and Siegel as well as sending captured Confederate letters back home to be published. VG. ...plus, 10pp. quarto, ink & pencil, Camp 104 NYS Vols, Near Bloomfield, Loudon County, Virginia, November 5 -7, 1862, and reads in part: “...We have heard heavy cannonading for several days but it seems to be about the same distance ahead of us every day which goes to show that we are driving the rebels. I think that as our cavalry advance they shell the woods and that is the chief part of the cannonading...I wrote Sabbath from near Purcerllville or Goose Creek...our cavalry were driven back several miles by Stuart’s cavalry but our loss was very slight...Gen. McClellan’s Head Quarters is near here and Gen. Burnside’s is on the left with 3 Army Corps the 9, 2, & 12...We are under Gen. Hooker. He is to command three army corps and ours is one of them. We are still the first coprs and Franklins and Porters corps are associated with us in Hookers command. So you see that Hooker has a Grand Division and they are the best fighting men in the whole army....Gen. Ricketts has been relieved from the command of our Division and ordered to report at Harpers Ferry. We all feel very bad to loose him but of course we shall have to submit. Gen. Gibbons now commands our Division. He is from Kings Division....Gen Siegel drove the rebels from here last evening killed two of them and wounded several. He is now in the advance...It is reported here today that Gen. Bragg is at Gordonsville with a heavy force that has come from the west...We have just heard that Gen. Wadsworth has been defeated for Governor of the Pro Slavery Anti-war, Jeff Davis sympathizer, demagogue Horatio Seymour...Everything will be done by him to embarrass the President and his administration and I think it is a disgrace for New York to be opposed to the administration...”VG... plus, 2pp. quarto, Camp 104 NYS Vols, Warrenton, Virginia, November 8, 1862, and reads in part: “...We have learned today that Gen. McClellan has been relieved of the command of the Army of Virginia. I am very sorry that such is the case for all the men in his command fairly worship him and I am afraid that it will operate against the sucess of this campaign. It is very doubtful if we even have another general who has the confidence of all his men as McClellan has. I was not very much of a McClellan man when I was at home last summer but when I first saw the man I liked him and have continued to do so more and more ever since...”VG ... plus, 2pp. quarto, Camp Eliance, Cloud Mills, Virginia, April 30, 1862, and reads in part:” ...I have been appointed Capt of Co. B. It was announced last night on dress parade by Col. Rohrbach. It was nothing more than I expected for the Col. told me the same day that Capt. Day resigned, that he should recommend me for the place...Col. Rohrbach called me into his room to talk with me about maters and things. He asked me if I thought that I could control the company if I was made Capt. I told him I thought I could. He said you know, your Father told me to do with you as I thought but turned you over into my hands. Did I not think that you were worthy and qualified I should not appoint you. He said I shall expect more of you as a captain, than I did as a lieut....It is understood among the line officers that Co. B has about as good a set of commissioned officers as any company in the regiment...”VG ... plus, 4pp. octavo, Washington D.C., September 9, 1862, and reads in part: “...It is reported that Jackson is in Penn but I think it is a mistake. He only wants to draw our troops away from here and then he will make a force march and join Lee and then they will both make for this city and try to take it. They will meet with a warm reception should they try it, we have lots of troops here and more arriving every day...I think Springwater [New York] has done nobly in raising volunteers it must seem very lonesome there now, scarcely a man left in town. Who would have thought that George Wilbon, Ira Carpenter & Mack Hudson could be induced to inlist. You must have had lively times at your war meetings there...Poor Rudd was left on the battle field they could not get his body. Pope was defeated at every point, he was incompetent to manage so large a force, he would do well enough for a brigadier but in as high as he was capable of commanding, it has been one of the worst managed campaigns that is on record. Pope never lived up to a single order that he had made any, every one has lost confidence in our whole army commanders and I do not know what will happen next...”

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