2025-01 Raynors Historical Collectible Auctions
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/25/2025
Union soldier’s 4pp letter written by Aaron Kilmer who enlisted on 10/3/1862 as a Sergeant into "E" Co. Pennsylvania 17th Cavalry. Datelined; US Army General Hospital, Point Lookout, Maryland, September 30, 1864. In part, “Never did the sun rise clearer and brighter over Point Lookout before, but yet all was one dark mass of bitter feelings of loneliness to me. Soon the mail came in and among it I realized your letter.... After reading your letter it at once came to my memory that I was dreaming of you in the last night. Thus, I soon remembered my whole dream again. In the evening when I retired I lay awake pondering over some magnificent ideas which I read of late in an extract of Notre Dame. The windows being open, the wind howled through my room stronger as the midnight sea. Breath came on the point, whistling solemn music to my ears as the air struck the opposite corners of the room with increased force every minute, and thus I fell into a trance and dreamed I was in Notre Dame. There I stood and gazed upon the magnificent tower which looms up over 6000 feet into the air, filled with a chime of eight hundred bells of the clearest sound that ever fell upon the ears of mankind. Soon I gained entrance into that mighty steeple and was charmed with the eight hundred chime ringing instruments. Aye! to the topmost I must ascend, and when I stood there, earth rocked beneath me and the heavens shook above me. The frightful abyss below me dictated death to my eyes and the amazing chime of bells rung wild frantic to my ears. Louder and more fierce the bells rung out. Soon the whole tower quivered beneath me. I raised my voice above the mighty clamor of bells, and shrieked frantically for relief, but wilder the fierce tower shook and help no avail. ... There came that white, Aye! ice cold snow-white form of a ghost, stood before me, gazing over me with eyes so glaring that it dazzled me in vengeance! For ever can I see those ivory teeth, its contraction and its expanding. ...”
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