2025-01 Raynors Historical Collectible Auctions
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/25/2025
Union soldier’s 4pp. letter written to his family by William A Smith on 8/21/1862, mustered into "D" Co. Pennsylvania 116th Infantry. Dateline, Sunday Morning Near Williamsport, July12 ‘62. In large part, “ I am tending to Head Quarters' Horses, Major Hancock's horses. It is better than being with the Regt. I can ride sometimes, that helps me along a good bit, and then I am at the rear of the battle field. ... Anyhow, as far as Gettysburg. In that fight and give the Johnny Rebs fits and after them hot foot, we have caught them again here and we expect another big battle here. We threw some shells into them last night and moved them out of the woods here. The darn buggers get in the woods and their clothes are so close like the old ... Well, we give them a hard rub at Gettysburg. Our Corps took about 2,000 prisoners themselves. It is the hardest battle that has been fought yet. I think in the Army of the Potomac it has knocked our Regt. all to pieces. There are only 9 in my Company now in the Regt. except that there is 2 or 3 on Provo Guard. There are 60 of our Regt. on that duty, and after the battle counted 48 men with the Lieut. and all of them makes but 108 in all in our Regt. with 1 Major, 1 Adjt. and 2 Captains in all of them that came out so that has knocked the Regt. to pieces pretty fast. Out of 900 when we left Phila. and this fight I think it will finish them off and then there will be no more of the 116 Regt. for I think it will about wind it up. ... Well, I must tell a little about the march. It has been a very hard one. I came over the battle field of Bull Run and Antietam and saw the bones of the dead on the field that was not half buried and 2 or 3 more battle fields that I don't know their names now I came through. They marked that Genl. Siegel had a brush and burned the town, all of the secesh houses that were in it, so it was a hard looking place. Well, we have been in a great many towns since we have been on this march, and the people have used us very well. We can easily tell the secesh. They will come for a guard as soon as we stop to guard their house. Such as they have to lookout for the boys will go down on him and take his chickens ... We come through Frederick City. It was a nice place and the people used us first rate. Their every house had a flag hung out of the window as we came through it, and as we came on the other side of the town there, we saw a spy hung on a tree, over in (the town) they left him hanging for 3 days before they took him down. They skinned the tree of all of the bark that was on it. The officer got some of it. There was not much chance for me to get a piece for I had to hold the horses for them. Well, it was hard to get along on this march. Sometimes I would not have anything to eat for 2 or 3 days ...”
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