Raynors HCA 2017-12
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/7/2017
A good war-date Union soldier's letter, 8pp. 8vo., written, the first sheet on patriotic stationery, by Pvt. Moses F. Whittemore, Co. C, 51st Ohio Vols., Nashville, Tenn., June 20, 1862, in part: "…I have been on guard at the Penitentiary for the last two days; guarding some "Secesh" who refused to take the oath; twenty three in number. They were allowed to walk out in the prison yard during the day time. They were very ready to join in conversation with us especially on the war question. Seven were taken to the office of the Provost marshal this morning to consider…taking the oath-two took it yesterday and were released. Two of them are sixty years of age; Secesh to the backbone…there are 325 convicts in the Penitentiary at present; nine for during life, six of them are females! I was in…to see them. There were pretty hard looking caus [cusses]…they were engaged…coopering, blacksmithing, carpentry, grinding grain…in short all the ordinary trades of life-except killing one another…they (the two) are very kind to the guards and appear to be glad to see us…bring out a pancake occasionally and trade the guards with it. One…says he is going to join the U. S. army when he is a free man. The charge upon which he was arrested was theft…the Penitentiary is situated in the southern suburbs of the city. It is 300 feet in length and one hundred and 40 feet high, contains sells for 500 convicts…the first part was built in A. D. 1828…the bridge which was burnt down by the rebels at this place has been rebuilt…the cars can cross the river now. It is a swing bridge; the sing being 100 feet long. The government is going to rebuild the wire bridge which was burnt down (or tore down) by the Secessionists at this place…arrests of rebels is a daily occurrence here. The majority of the women of the Nash. are secesh. Almost all of them have either relatives or friends in the rebel army…it is hard for them to turn against their sons and husbands and brothers…they are however becoming more reconciled to our army…the opinion of the soldiers here on the slavery question…[is that] the war will not effectually affect slavery and say if they thought that it would free the nigger they would at once lay down there arms; but the doctrine of the majority is to colonize the nigger. They nearly all agree that slavery has caused the war and most would be glad to see it wiped out. They begin to see that in order to bring an end to the war they must bring an end to the nigger, some of them said so and I find no occasion to dispute their word. Do you? There are several drakes in our regt acting as cooks for the officers who were taken prisoners…in different parts of the state. All niggers taken by our men from the Secesh army being considered as property [and] are of course confiscated…by being taken by our men they gain their freedom. 60,000 have thus gained their freedom since the war…cotton is planted in rows like corn and worked the same way…Governor [Andrew] Johnson [is] reported to be assassinated about every week by some of the Secesh; is not dead yet. His wife is laying sick in East Tennessee, was ordered to leave the country but is not able to…the anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill celebrated here by the artillery; Union sentiment progressing; Jeff Davis money about played out; shinplasters getting as ragged as a frizzly chicken; most of them plastered together with pasteboard; the green backs take their eye. A soldier from Co. E 51st regt married a young lady of this city…must have been keen for a wife…Moses." The original stamped transmittal cover is also included. Light soiling, else VG
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