2023-08 Raynors HCA Live
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/26/2023
The following three letters were written by Addison Pool (1831-1868), the son of War of 1812 Veteran Abraham Howe Pool (1789-1860). Addison wrote all three of these letters to his nephew, Henry Martin Lowe, who served with him aboard the US Gunboat Penobscot and the USS Steamer Southfield earlier in the war. Addison was the Assistant Paymaster. Later in 1864, Addison was assigned to the newly constructed USS Mahopac-a Canonicus-class monitor built for the Union Navy. The vessel was assigned to the James River Flotilla of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron upon completion in September 1864. Here are the excerpts from these Naval Letters.(Near Fort Fisher off Wilmington bar, Jan. 17, 1865) to Henry, 4 pp., in part, "...We commenced the action on the morning of the 13th. The fight that day being entirely carried on by the ironclads and continued by them up to a very late hour on the 14th when the other vessels--which had been protecting the landing of the troops -- came up and the fight became general. We were fighting for three days which time I was on deck and had a fine opportunity of seeing the battle. The monitors were but about 700 yards from the work and beside the great guns, a large number of sharpshooters were playing on the deck from the fort and we had to keep up pretty good dodging to clear our heads from bullets. On the evening of the 15th about 10 the work surrendered. I had been on deck for the entire three days and had turned in that night to get the rest so much needed, but was hardly asleep when the officer of the deck sent down word to me to inform the captain that the fort had surrendered. You may guess that I lost no time but rolled out of bed and put for the cabin without even stockings on. I told the captain and we hurriedly dressed and went on deck. The cheers from the ship was the first sound we heard and as we got up, we saw rockets going up from every ship and Coston's signal's burning without any reference to number, steam whistles and every other thing that could make a noise being used to keep up the jubilee...At about 8 in the morning while our eyes were directed towards the fort, an explosion of the most terrific nature took place and for a moment we thought the whole fort was in the air. But as it settled again, we saw that but a small part of the work was ruined. The doctor and myself were soon in a boat and on our way ashore. On landing we learned that the fort had been mined and electric wires laid to the main magazine which had been blown up by the rebs after its surrender. By this terrible occurrence, we lost more men than in taking the fort. Never have I seen anything so horrible as the sight of those noble fellows who had been blown to atoms while flushed with the pride of recent victory. Six hundred men have lost their lives through the perfidy of a cowardly foe. Had Gen. Terry taken the same number from among his prisoners and butchered them, it would have been a fitting retaliation; ([USS] Mahopac, James River, March 12, 1865) to Henry, 3 pp, in part, "...I shall never unless compelled make another voyage, or attempt to make another, in a monitor. I have expressed my views of this so freely already as to make some trouble and I shall continue to do so--while they insist on there being a sea-going vessel--even at the risk of dismissal...Don't let any person see this except your father. I have expressed myself too strongly. But really, the Navy, as controlled by such men as Porter, is not the Navy of my idea..."
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