Description:

DEFENDING THE 126TH NEW YORK AT HARPERS FERRY
Letter from a Union soldier captured at Harpers ferry and later paroled, 8pp. 8vo., Camp Douglas, Chicago, Sep. 28, 1862. Pvt. Jonathan Yeckley of the 126th NY Infantry writes a lady friend, in part: "...you have probably seen, the disposition government has seen fir to make of the 'Harper's Ferry Prisoners'...we are prisoners but from no fault of ours, simply of the officers commanding...oh, what is our government composed of...it was a fact known or at least believed by every officer & soldier here that Col Miles was a traitor...it was criminal, nothing less...communication was cut off shortly after we reached there...men like Miles and McDowell who have already prolonged the war so much...the president is not what he should be if he retains them longer...You may perhaps have seen it stated that the 126th behaved disgracefully, ran away without discharging half of their guns in the battle on Maryland Heights. This is nothing more or less than an unmitigated lie. They bore the brunt of the battle, brought off more dead & wounded men...ordered back twice & covered the retreat both times. All behaved well with the exception of Co. A made up of loafers and bullies from Penn...Cos D & F held the left with a position of Garibaldi guards who were said to have driven our reg't back at the point of a bayonet, but so cowardly were they...fired over the heads of our men endangering their lives...Thus Maryland Heights were lost, with scarcely a struggle...We might have cut our way out, but Miles would not allow it...eight batteries opened fire upon us raking us from every direction...". Much more. Very good, with transmittal envelope and transcript. Yeckley would return to the front and be wounded at Gettysburg.

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December 9, 2015 10:30 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

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