2008-09
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/31/2008
A great war-date Confederate soldier's letter, 8pp. 8vo., written in ink by Pvt. John Moore, 2nd Tenn. Provisional infantry, Camp Dave Curren, [Northern Virginia], Dec. 10-12, 1861 concerning kidnapping several Union pickets, reading, in part: "…We have not as yet despaired of having a fight. We received news a few days since that McClellan was moving on towards Occuquon creek with a view of attacking us but that has been reported so often, that we place but little confidence in them. Our boys & the Yankey pickets enjoy themselves holloring at each other across the river. The Yankeys were in the habit of getting in a canoe & coming within four or five hundred yards of the shore & sitting there & talking for hours at the time; our Boys shot at them on several occasions but their shots had no affect more than make them turn back…There was five of them got in a canoe, three men & two little boys the other day & started over to have another talk, but our boys were too smart for them & by talking & persuading them until they got them to come across & then they took them prisoners & brought them to camp, this morning we started them to Richmond. Capt Tyree & Stewart was among the number that took them, some think that the boys ought not to have decoyed them over. I expect that they promised them that they would let them go back, but Tyree says that he only promised them that they should not be hurt. They say that they did not want to fight us that they were forced into it & I think they ought to be forced into jail or to pulling hemp without footholds. There is scarcely a day that passed but what we hear heavy firing up & down the river. There was some steam tugs come over the other day & shot into some fish houses & set them on fire burning them up. A few nights since there was some little sail vessels, attempted to run the blockade. Our batteries opened fire on them & was shooting hot shot, but one of the caps missed fire & before they could put on another it caught from the shot & burst the gun breaking one man's thigh & hurting some nine or ten more badly but killing none, they are all improving. I believe this is all the damage that has been done at our Batteries, with the exception of one fellow that was struck by a piece of bomb that was shot from Maryland & exploded in the air…". VG.
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