Description:

BURYING THE DEAD AT SHILOH
A fine and graphic A.L.S. of Sergeant Willet S. Haynes of Co. H. of 53rd Illinois Infantry, 3pp. 8vo., Pittsburg, Tenn., Apr. 13, 1862. Willet writes candidly to friends and family about his horrific observances at Shiloh, in small part (grammar and diction not changed): "...I have seen sights in the last week that would have made your eye stick out last Monday we come from Savanna down here we got to the Battle Field about an hour after the Rebels commenced their retreat we landed at 5:00 OC PM and marched 3 miles over the Field that night it was an awful sight the dead in places almost covered the Ground While Guns Knapsacks Blankets were strewn in every direction I supposed the Donelson fight was nowhere to this one I wish you was here even now to look over the field and see the horses mules laying about and you could see a great many things that would interest you it was quite a novelty to see them Bury the dead I saw one grave that had 75 Secesh in it they dig trenches 7 feet wide and as long as they want it they then pack the men in crossways three & four deep throw a little dirt over them and pass on I helped Bury I think it was 78 of our Boys in one grave that was Wednesday and some of them had lain where they fell in the mud and storm since the Sunday before you may imagine what kind of a job it was it has rained every night since we came here and we didn't have nothing but our Blankets to protect ourselves with we had to lay down in the mud with our muskets by our sides rolled in our Blankets...we don't have anything to eat only Hard Bread and side pork and no way to cook that as we left all our camp equipment at Savanna...Men keep coming in every day I supposed our army must be 150,000 strong and maybe more...". Haynes served throughout 1862-1864 and was mustered out on Dec. 28, 1864. Light staining to top left corner, boldly written and very good.

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December 16, 2010 11:00 AM EST
Stamford, CT, US

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