2025-01 Raynors Historical Collectible Auctions
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/25/2025
Another Union Soldier’s Letter Grouping written by Thomas H. Capern who enlisted on August 23, 1861 as a private in Co. E, 4th New Jersey Infantry. He was captured as a prisoner of War by the Confederates on June 27, 1862 at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill and was held prisoner at Belle Island in Richmond until 13 September when he was paroled and sent to the hospital at Annapolis, Maryland, where he was exchanged within two weeks. Later in the war he was captured again and sent to the notorious Andersonville Prison, from which he escaped! Unfortunately he was captured again and sent to Libby Prison and finally spent his longest time as prisoner at Danville. He was ultimately discharged from the 4th NJ at Annapolis, Maryland on June 7, 1865. These letters were primarily written to his mother. Below are dozens of excerpts. Datelined: Camp Seminary, September 2nd 1861, in part “ I like soldiers life so far very much. We have a very nice captain and our officers as far as I have perceived are first rate men. ... I am going to have my uniform tomorrow and my gun. I am well at present. We may have a fight pretty soon but we are not afraid of all the force that the enemy can bring. We are all desirous of having a good shot at the rebels. ... There are dead men brought in every day from the picket guards. ...” Datelined: On Picket Duty, September 24th 1861, “We are out on the outside pickets. We are near the secessionists. We are not a half mile from them. A part of the woods we are in are full of them. Their forts on Mason’s Hill 1 is within gunshot of here. ...” Datelined: October 20th 1861, in part “We have had one of our officers killed out on picket. He was killed on Thursday night. The circumstances of his death are a little peculiar. He was our Sergeant Major and an excellent officer. His place will not be soon filled up in this regiment. The whole regiment deeply mourn his loss. His death occurred through his own carelessness. ... Our Sergeant Major was with several others going from post to post giving the soldiers their instructions .. when as he advanced from a certain post he received the command to halt. He kept on and upon the second time being commanded to stop he jumped into the bushes for the purpose from what I can hear was to fool the soldiers and have some fun with them ... As he jumped into the bushes, the picket fired and the ball took effect. He jumped as high as two feet from the ground and then fell forward upon his face and nothing but the body remained for the spirit had fled to its maker. ...” Datelined: October 26th 1861, in part, “I have been out on picket this week for three days and took up lodging for the nights in our secessionist officer’s tent. It was made of poles being driven firmly into the ground and thatched with straw. ... Only a short time ago there were only two or three rebel regiments encamped where we were on picket. They were there the whole time we were there building our fort. They never molested us in the least. ...” Datelined:Near Alexandria, April 16, 1862, in part “For two days past we have been up before four o’clock and off marching before sunrise and marched nearly the whole day. A week ago orders came for us to march to Warrenton ... because the railroad was torn up for three or four miles and the bridges burnt by the rebels when they left. ... Centreville is a very formidable place. There are barracks for a large army. ...” Datelined: Across the Chickahominy near Fair Oaks, June the 21st, 1862 in part “ ... and now are camped near the battlefield of Fair Oaks. There was fighting took place here. Five minute’s walk will take you out to the scene of desolation where the iron hail was profusely scattered fairly riddling all the trees and where friend and foe were scattering during the fight upon the bloody field. The graves are scattered. ... The rebels are generally buried in trenches or have been piled up and dirt thrown over them and the air smells bad already. ...” Datelined: Camp near White Oak Church, Virginia, March 19th 1863, in part “Well, Mother, great preparations are being made. Gen. Joseph Hooker is a fighting man and a good man. He knows where he attempts to go through—that is, if there is any such thing as going through, he will go through. We have known him all through the campaign on the Peninsula. Kearny and Hooker were upon the left of us. ...” Datelined:Camp near Falmouth, Virginia, May 9th 1863, in part “From the top of the high hills all around us close to the river, we have seen our brave boys battling with the enemy. In the dead hour of midnight, when standing upon post upon the [ammunition] train, we could hear the fierce rattle of the musketry as the echo reverberated from the opposite hills and we could see the shells bursting in the air. There has been a dreadful struggle and a fearful loss of life. Our old Division has been fearfully cut up. Oh how thankful should we be that we are here in this position. ... Col. [William] Birney tried his best to get us in the fight—right into the front where the hottest fire was. He wouldn’t have cared if we had been all butchered. Not he. All he is aiming at is promotion to a generalship ...” Datelined: Camp near Falmouth, Virginia, May 13th 1863, in part “We hear of Gen. [Stonewall] Jackson’s death but we don’t credit it for he has been dead so many times already. But in time of battle he was always found to be alive and on hand. Mother, Gen. Jackson is a smart man and a religious man. ... I cannot reconcile the idea of Stonewall Jackson going to heaven after doing as he has already done. ...” Datelined: Camp near Belle Plain, Virginia, June 3rd 1863, in part “They tell me that I am getting very fat indeed. Well, I think that I am in pretty good condition at this present time. I am beginning to get in good order to be captured again for when upon the 27th of last June we were captured by the Johnnies, I was so fat that I could hardly see. ...” Datelined: Camp near Frederick City, Maryland, June 29th 1863, in part “There is some guerrillas hovering around here. A squad of men has just come in from a scout after the rebels. Found traces of them but they were gone. That is about a mile from us. But we ain’t afraid of them. ...” Datelined: Camp near Culpeper Court House, Va., October 2nd 1863, in part “ There were troops moving last night, I am sure, the way the drums beat and the wagons rattled. There have been several Corps gone from here to reinforce Gen. Rosecrans and as Gen. Gilmore, they say, is to be reinforced at Charleston ... “ Datelined: Camp between Centreville and Chantilly, October 17th 1863, in part “We came here the other night in a hurry. Old Lee was fighting only a few miles off and we could see the smoke of each cannon. That was the 2nd Corps fighting the rebels while we were having to get to the hills of Centreville before Gen. Lee could get there. After we got to Centreville, we formed into lines of battle behind the breastworks and got the artillery into position so that thy could sweep the plains below us. ... we crossed the Rappahannock River and then recrossed back again the next day and formed into line of battle to fight the Johnnys and then how we drove them away beyond Brandy Station and in the night slipped away again and blew up the bridge and came on the march to here. Old Lee was ahead of us but as we turned back after Hill’s Corps, he turned back too and then we turned round and came this way as hard as we could and got ahead of him 24 hours start. ...” Datelined:Camp near the Rappahannock, December 5th 1863, in part “There was nothing but skirmishing going on. Then soon came heavy volleys of musketry. There was a battery of artillery with us and they went ahead of us on the full run. Then the firing came closer and we had to go upon the double quick through a thick woods. All of us boys thought that we were going to go into a fight then sure, but we did not ... Fighting soon commenced but the 1st Corps were ahead of us. Then our Corps advanced towards the right. We formed lines along a hill covered with small pines and bushes. T’was a place called the Wilderness. ... they put it off for we piled up our knapsacks in a pile never expecting to see them again for we knew if we made a charge that those who were not killed but were wounded would freeze to death on the battlefield. ... Datelined: Camp near Cold Harbor, Va., June 11th 1864, in part “The front line are so close that the balls go over them and what don’t strike in the 2nd line comes to this line. Some good shots are made by the rebels. They come mighty close—close enough, I can tell you. ... Our artillerists give them a few round shot and shells once in a while to show them that we are not all asleep. There is something in the wind surely. ...” Datelined: Camp near the James River, June 15th 1864, in part “Sheridan is on a grand raid in the rear of Richmond. Some think we are going to operate on Ft. Darling and across to Petersburg. I don’t believe that the rebels followed up our rear with much force at all. We fooled them considerably. We took one road and they climbed after us on the other side on another road. They threw some bomb shells out of some of their mortars down upon our left and I tell you, in the dark they looked pretty. ... Then as you know, I was slightly wounded that day I traveled to the rear. ... Well, I do hope that Abe Lincoln will get reelected again. I believe in putting the war right through. May the Lord bless us ,ore and grant that soon a decisive blow may be struck—one which will make the rebels feel it ...” Datelined: Camp in the woods between the James & Appomattox Rivers, June 18th 1864, in part “You see as we are upon the south side of Richmond if we should happen to whip the rebels here, Old Jeff and Lee will be in a scrape because here are their communications. ... Close to where we are is a darkie company. They were in the fight the other day and drove the rebels. They say that they killed every rebel that they got a chance at. They take no prisoners whatever and of course the rebels kills all they catch of them too. ...” Datelined: Behind a little breastwork near Petersburg, Va., June 20th 1864, in part “Just as soon as our artillery opened upon the rebels here, the rebels replied by a heavy crossfire from three ways and they made the places around here tremendous hot for them and us. The shells and shot came bursting all around us and whistling mighty close to us. ...” Datelined:
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