2005-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2005
Massive soldier's correspondence of John W. Boston (1833-1918) who served as private in company 'G' of the 81st Ohio Infantry from September 1862 until July 1865, serving with this regiment from Tennessee, to Corinth, to the Atlanta Campaign, through the March to the Sea and then the Carolina campaign until the Surrender of Johnston to Sherman in North Carolina. Over 100 letters in total, most multi page, octavo, signed John W. Boston, and include covers, some content includes: "…[2/10/62]last night I was on picket…there was 3 men tried to …to pass me and to get inside of our lines for the purpose of burning the mills of this place…I challenged them to halt…I had my gun cocked before I challenged them and I immediately fired my gun at them as best I could. But think that I did not hit any of them…[12/23/62] our boys went out a week ago and caught some 70 rebels among whom was 3 lieutenants and a lot of guerillas and some 17 or 20 rebels from the army of Tennessee that were home on a furlough to their homes among whom was a Rebel lieutenant he is a native of Jackson Co. Ohio he went south a year ago to operate on the telegraph and when the rebellion broke out he went in the rebel army as a lieutenant…he was taken prisoner by his won first cousin in our cavalry and the day before yesterday tried to make his escape from Corinth but was captured at the picket lines and brought to Corinth and a 64 pound canon ball tied or rather chained to his foot and all the way that he can walk is to carry the 64 pound cannon ball in his arms…[4/15/63] our Regiment went out this morning on a march after the Rebels and we had a little fight 6 miles from here yesterday in the forenoon between some of our sharpshooters and the 1st Alabama Cavalry and some 600 rebels from Braggs army and our boys were victorious driving the Rebels off. The Rebels had 6 pieces of artillery with them but did not use them at all for they thought to draw our men out in the open field but could not do it. Our men had 2 pieces of artillery and they fired 6 rounds at the rebels and several vollies of infantry when the gallant 1st Alabama Cavalry made a gallant charge which put them to flight. We lost 6 killed and 30 wounded and one or 2 prisoners…at the break of dawn a sharpshooter on picket shot and the pickets then fell back when the fight then commenced in earnest and I tell you that it was brisk for a few minutes till our artillery opened on them and some say that the Rebels lost some 30 killed …. We have the Rebel communication cut off and we then will make them howl with hunger worse than ever. But the knowing of hunger will make them fight like Demons for the plunder of our Army stores and supplies that we will take along with us…[5/8/63] Our expedition under Brigadier general Dodge is a success and Colonel Quinine with his Brigade of mounted men have succeeded in his Expedition in burning several Rail Road bridges and in capturing 400 hundred of the Rebels under General Forrest and in taking back the company that was taken prisoners by the Rebels…[7/6/63]they wont stand and fight like men but will skulk and hide around in the brush and then they will pounce on a few men that might chance to come along they are a set of cold blood murderers I call them. Some of them will come in to our lines and take the oath find out how our pickets are posted then crawl up and try to kill them. But our men don't take many prisoners. When they take a guerilla they tell him to run for his life and as soon as he starts to run give him a pop and let him lay for his friends to bury if they find him. The Union men of the South are worse than our men six times over for they know every one of them. The guerillas burned a culbert on the rail road the other day and the order is to burn every house that is not known to belong to a Union man for the distance of 5 miles of the rail road in this case there was some 30 dwellings destroyed …[7/26/63] I think that Morgan's Raid in to Ohio and Indiana of more service to these states than the damge done to them by the said Morgan. But I must confess that the mob in and around New York a disgrace to that large and noble state. The ring leaders ought to be punished in the most summary manner…[8/12/63]we go the intelligence of the successful raid of our mounted men under Colonel Phillips of the 9th Illinois he had command of the 9th Illinois regiment 13th Illis. Cavalry 11th Illinois cavalry 8 th Michigan Cavalry 2 pieces of artillery they were all under the command of Lt. Colonel Phillips of the 9th Illinois mounted infantry they took and destroyed 70 locomotives belonging to the Rebels the reason that they destroyed them 65 loclomotives in running order and 500 passenger cars and box cars,..[1/10/64] we have escaped a great deal of fight but we have done a good deal of duty…it is not our fault if we have not General U.S. Grant said that our Division took Corinth and it should have the honor of holding that place…[2/5/64]the other day there was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Rebel army and several lieutenants and privates. I was talking to one man that has been in Longstreet's army. He was at the Battle of Chickamauga and at the Battle of Knoxville, Tennessee and he said that the Southern soldiers were in a suffering condition…[Spring 1864]we went out from this post and captured 400 prisoners 2 pieces of cannon 60 wagons and they fought at Alton, got a good whipping…[6/20/64 Georgia]…we are driving them all the time without any severe loss to us. Today we took 325 prisoners…we have taken a good a number of prisoners and a good many deserters ones I don't wonder that they desert for we out flank them all the time…[7/22/64]we have just had a severe battle we fought Hardees whole Corp our two divisions of the 16 army corp and a part of the 17th in from the field with great slaughter. We lost considerable but they lost 4 to one of us. The loss of killed and wounded in our Regiment was as now ascertained was 66 we lost over 200 in our brigade. There was only our regiment and the 12th Illnois and the 66 Illnois & the 9th Illinois being mounted …was not in the engagement. We fought them for 3 hours, right in the open field and drove them to a thick undergrowth and there they stood for some time but our artillery kept playing on them with grape and canister and shell after the fight was over some of our men went into the woods and they said that they were piled up thick some fell across one and another and after we had to double quick about three miles to the right of us for the 15th Corp was drove out of their breastworks and were not able to retake them. Our brigade double quicked our general Smith had the hardest kind of work to get his men to go back with us but we did go and we retook the works with small loss to us. There was also 15 pieces of artillery lost by the 15th army Corp all of which we retook in the charge. Our regiment lost one commissioned officer the first lieutenant of company K was killed in the charge…[8/13/64 near Atlanta]it is not very pleasant to have the dysentery and be laying in the front ditches with the Rebels not over 200 hundred yards in our front and the balls fly very fast in our rear and sometimes it is hard to the sinks, I had to go 8 or 10 times last night and a good many times today…we have now commenced the siege of Atlanta we are now fixing up our heavy guns and we are only about ¾ of a mile from town and we are also fixing up a furnace to heat shot red hot to throw in to the town and it is also reported that they are going to throw Greek fire into the town…[9/18/64 East Point]we left on a 15 day march to destroy the rail roads to Atlanta in the hands of the Rebels which we did in a most successful manner driving everything before us and by cutting the Rebel army in the middle causing the capture of Atlanta with a good lot of prisoners, arms and ammunition….[12/17/64] we have traveled 300 miles with out hardly any fighting and we have taken Fort [?] that gives us communication with the ocean. The tide backs up to here and raises 7 feet we are 7 miles from the ocean and 8 from Savannah and have communication with General Fosters army of South Carolina. We have the Rebels entirely cut off from any communication and have cut the Confederacy in 2 havles….destroying all the rail roads in our road and in several instances going 15 or 20 miles to accomplish our work and we are not going to be in a hurry about taking Savannah for we think that we can starve them out and not lose many men…[12/26/64]we captured Savannah with out hardly a struggle all the men that we have lost is one man out of our regiment he being wounded by a piece of a shell…there is some talk of there being an Expedition on our part to capture Charleston South Carolina it is only 104 miles from here…[4/26/65] Johnston has accepted the offer of peace offered by President Johnson…the terms are accepted by General Johnston and other Rebel authorities…[5/22/65]Sherman's army is to be reviewed at Washington…" Much more. Most VG to Fine….plus; Over 100 Autograph Letters Signed by various Boston family members, some war date, most mid to late 1860's. VG. (220+ items)
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