2005-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2005
Pair of Autograph Letters Signed by Laurens Walcott, 52nd Illinois Infantry, both 4p. quarto, one datelines “Arlington Heights, Va. May 21, 1865” and the other in a camp near Washington, May 27, 1865, they read in part: “....Leaving Petersburg on the 9th we moved slowly northward to Manchester on the south bank of the James and directly opposite Richmond...I got a horse and rode all around the city, saw Castle Thunder, Libby Prison, the Capitol, &c &c. The heart of the town had all been burnt out, but the part that remains shows that Richmond has been rather a nice town, much ahead of the average of southern towns...During our service we have seen about as hard service as any part of the army, have marched as fast and as far as any but never till the close of the war did we have such a march, so utterly foolish, wicked & outrageous a move never came under my observation. Many men were killed outright, and many more will never fully recover from the effects of sunstroke and overheating induced by our exertions as the weather was intensily hot and our average distance while marching from Raleigh was fully 20 miles per day...Of course you are aware that a ‘grand review’ of the Army of the Potomac and our army will come off at Washington this week....I expect teh Eastern papers will exult over teh contrast between the army of the Potomac and Sherman’s army which can hardly fail to be greatly in our disfavor every thing being originally equal, for they have been preparing for it for some two or three weeks...we will have just two days to rest and prepare for the review; not half time enough for the boys feet to get well of their blisters, and raw spots and it will aloow very little time to put arms, accouterments & c. in order...[5/27/1865] The review that I spoke of in my letter to Sam came off as per programme the Potomac army on the 23d and ours (Shermans) on the 24th. As I said in my last they had spent from two to three weeks on preparing for it while we hadn’t time for any other preparations...But, rather to our surprise and greatly to our satisfaction all parties united in saying that Sherman’s army made for the finest appearance, much to their credit for frankness, they (the Potomac army) nearly all ‘acknowledged the corn’.They think Shermans army can’t have had so hard times as represented or they wouldn’t look so well...Our former Colonel Bowere was here as a spectator and he thought our Brigade made the finest appearance of any brigade in the entire army, but he may have been prejudiced in our favor. Our Corps was also generally considered to have carried off the honors over all others, the 20th coming out second...” Both Fine. (2 items)
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