Fortifying Plymouth North Carolina In 1863

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2005

A great war-date Union officer's, 4pp. 4to., letter written in ink by Lt. Col. William W. Clarke 85th New York Vols., Plymouth, N. C., May 12, 1863 to his mother concerning their fortification of Plymouth and conditions there, reading, in part: "…we [are] way up here in the country…[with]…old fighter…Gen. [Henry] Wessels…building forts [and] doing picket duty…we came here…by steamer 220 miles from New Berne…we were assigned…[with] 4 companies under command of Col. Belknap within the fortifications near town [while] the other 6 companies are assigned a position about 3/4 of a mile to the front under my command where we are busy at work building a fort…there is not much left of Plymouth. It was a neat old town of about 3000 inhabitants with pretty streets…and some very good dwellings. The Rebs last winter came in and each burned his own property before they were compelled to get out. The best of the village is burned. The village is situated on a knoll…on the south bank of the Roanoke [River] which is a sluggish, shallow stream at this point. Low lands and swamps come up to within 1 mile on the east. The 'Swamp Dismal'…skirts around nearly to the south…and another swamp extend[s] around from the west towards the south leaving a mile of land which reaches out into a good farming country…we are all in tents again…we are troubled…to get enough to eat. Yesterday we were entirely out…my mess went…to a negro woman and bought our suppers…while in [the] village we hired wenches to bake us biscuits…I have to work much harder than before I went here almost the entire work of 3 field officers…". Clarke also mentions that they have heard about Hooker's defeat at Chancellorville, but can't get much news at the moment. Offering to pay a dollar for a newspaper just to get the details, Clarke laments that he was not in the struggle. Included is the original transmittal envelope missing its stamp. Clarke served with the regiment throughout the remainder of the war and was discharged in 1865. Negligible crosshatching affects the first page, with some of his grammar corrected to aid in reading, else very good.

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