2005-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2005
A touching war-date Union soldier's 4pp. 8vo., letter written in pencil by Pvt. George W. Early, 122nd Penn. Militia, "Camp near Cloud's Mills, Virginia, Aug. 29, 1862 to his friends relating his encounter with a long-time friend who would be killed in action in less than a year, and of events during the Second Bull Run campaign, reading, in part: "…we are 12 miles south of Washington…since we are her, there have been 60,000 or 70,000 soldiers (of McClellan's men) gone by to reinforce Pope while he is fighting at Culpeper Court House…also several regiments have stopped here…among those…is the glorious old 1st California regiment…I started off in pursuit of it…I found it and in it your son and my dear old friend Sylvester [O'Dare KIA July 3, 1863 Gettysburg]…it was a happy meeting…I had not seen [him] for…4 or 5 years. When I got in sight of him I knew him…but he did not know me…I was talking to him about 3 hours and…he told me some things that I never knew…they had a skirmish on Tuesday night at Manassas…from which our men retreated…on Wednesday there was a man come into our camp to have his hand dressed which had been shot off at Manassas…". Sylvester O'Dare was a member of the 71st Pennsylvania (1st California) Volunteers was killed during Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. Early's unit was organized in August for nine months. They were disbanded in May 1863. Early enlisted again during Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania. In the summer of 1863, he reenlisted in another militia regiment. Little did he realize that his friend would be killed during that invasion. Some toning, else very good.
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