2024-07 Raynors Historical Collectible Auctions
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/13/2024
A grouping of seven letters, June 20, 1861 through March 25, 1862, written by Melville Nickerson who enlisted on 28 May 1861 as a private in Co. C, 2nd Maine Infantry. He was quickly elevated to a corporal and later rose to Sergeant. He was discharged for disability. The excerpts provide a glimpse into this rough and rowdy regiment. Camp Seward, June 20th 1861 to family, "... No important movements going on although the federal troops are slowly but surely advancing their lines towards Harpers Ferry and Manassas Gap and probably there will be a pitched fight there before long if there is any fight in the South ... If they still persist in their rebellion, the immense forces concentrated here and at Fort Monroe and the West will probably be sent on and then Jeff Davis & Company had better look out for their necks are in danger. ..." ... Camp Seward, June 26th, 1861, "... We hear some rather hard stories about Wheeler in his performance of his duties toward the support of our soldiers' families and the boys are awful mad about it. I think that he had better be careful or he will see some trouble when Co. C gets home to Brewer again. They may think he is a rebel and tear his house down about his head ...President Lincoln has command of from 225 to 250 thousand men now and we have but just commenced to send troops here yet. New York has about 70 thousand here now and 40 thousand more begging for a chance to come and the other states in proportion. What Jeff Davis thinks of doing with 75,000 men against all this force is more than I can imagine....." ... Headquarters 2nd Regiment Vol. Maine Militia, Camp Seward, Washington D. C., June 27th 1861, "... I am tanned up so black that I am almost afraid to go out among the slaveholders around here, and have got a ferocious mustache and whiskers-almost as heavy as the President's.... I think that is all a hoax about Jeff Davis's propositions for it is contradicted here in Washington last night ... Probably we have one hundred to one hundred and fifty thousand men here in this vicinity and about 250 thousand under arms in the North and by September we shall have 500 thousand and they would make short work of the South. ..." ... Fort Corcoran August 29th 1861, "... I am gunner of one of the pieces and she is a beauty, I tell you. She weighs 5,780 pounds and I am going to fetch her home with me for a fowling piece when I come and I want to borrow some of your tools to make a stock for her for the one she has got now is rather clumsy.... We had a grand review of this brigade last Tuesday by Gen. McClellan & staff accompanied by the President & Secretary Seward. ..." ... Hall's Hill, Va., November 25th 1861, " ... Uncle Abram [Lincoln] was there on horseback by the side of Gen. McClellan, or George as the boys call him, and as they passed down the lines, each regiment gave three cheers and Gen. Mac blushed up as red as a beet, but Old Abe merely took his hat off and rode on as cool as a cucumber. ... Abe has an awful responsibility resting on his shoulders but I hope he will come out all right. ..." ... Halls Hill, Virginia, December 1st 1861, " ... With one grand sweep of this grand army, George [McClellan] will wipe out the bubble that Jeff Davis is pleased to call secession from the face of earth. Jeff has already got frightened at the looks of things in Virginia and removed the capitol to Nashville, Tennessee ... The news from Missouri has caused a general sorrow everywhere. We have lost in General Lyon one of the best and bravest generals in the service ..." ... . Georgetown Union Hospital, March 26th 1862, " ... First the surgeon orders a discharge and furnishes blanks and the Captain fills the descriptive part of them out and sends them to the Surgeon General's Office for approval. They are sent back to the Surgeon who first ordered them and he puts on his certificate of disability. and the cause which both he and the captain has to sign. Then that finishes that part of the business. ..."
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