2022-07 Raynors HCA Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/15/2022
A great Federal soldier’s letter written by Hannibal Augustus Johnson, signed “Hank” who mustered into "B" Co. ME 3rd Infantry, June 4, 1861 . Johnson was POW 7/2/1863 Gettysburg, PA (Exchanged; POW 5/5/1864 Wilderness, VA (Confined at Macon, GA & Columbia, SC); Escaped 11/15/1864 Columbia, SC; Arrived 1/10/1865 Knoxville, TN (Estimated date). The letter is datelined Head Quarters, Birney’s Brigade, Camp on the road, about 20 miles from Richmond, May 20, 1862. In part, “As soon as the Rebels evacuated Yorktown, we started in pursuit of them, but did not come up with them until Monday afternoon before Williamsburg ... we wer put into battle without a moment’s rest ... Hancock engaged the enemy in the easrly part of the day ... hecame very near being whipped and would have been if our division coming up just as it did ... after our brigade enetered the bloody field, they were drove back no less than three times, but the brave boys would not stay whipped but would again at the ebeny who were before them strongly entrenched in rifle pits, surrounded by forts that were throwing shot and shell into our ranks like hail ... Half of their men were killed by bayonetts of our boys for the rain had rendered half of the guns usless ... at one time during the battle, we got after much trouble a battery at work, but soon every horse was killed and many men making the battery no use to us ... I was under three times the fire that I was at Bull’s Run and came out unharmed ...the darkness put an end to the battle, and during the the long dark rainy night, the wounded could be heard moaning in pain, for it was impossible to get off all our wounded ... the wounded had to be brought of in blankets and even these men were fired at by the rebels ... news came that the enemy had evacuated ... we had to cross thebattlefield and what a sight met our eyes, for the road and field was covered with the bodies of friends and foe, all dead ... some of these poor fellows were so deep in mud and water that we could not tell if there were our men or not ... we soon passed this horrid place and soon entered the workd of the dead rebels just as they fell. Most every one of them shot in the head ... we soon commenced the work ofputting them under the sod ... and started for Willimsburg ... we found most every house a hospital full of wounded rebel soldiers ... they were the worst looking set of men that I ever see ... “
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