704. MASSACHUSETTS SOLDIER ON CAMPAIGNING NEAR NEWBERN An interesting war-date Union soldier's, 8pp. 8vo., letter, on embossed patriotic letter sheets, written in ink by Pvt. William S. Cook, Co. F, 23rd Mass. Vols., Newbern, N. C., May 4, 1862 to his mother about his regiment's activity near Newbern, North Carolina in 1862. In part: "...23rd March, our Regiment started fully equipped all but their knapsacks and marched up the country 8 miles to relieve the 27th [Mass.] Reg. who were on Picket. We stayed there 3 days...the last day...we had to march home in the mud...the mud was half way up to our knees. I sunk over my shoes at every step...the next day my legs were so lame that I limped rather than walked. Round came the Orderly and told me I was on Guard. So on Guard I went: next day I could not walk. I laid in the tent about a week, the fever/typhoid took me, my mind was wandering at times...the whole time I was in the Camp, before the Doctor ordered me to the Hospital...I was carried to the Hosp. in an ambulance with all my duds. Was out of my head two or three days...I got out of the Building in one of my fits and wondered round. Got into another Hospital Building adjoining, poked round the Wards, at last got back to where I started from by some means. It was a wonder the Exposure did not kill me, but it seemed to do me some good, after that I began to get better...in our regiment...over 20 have died...the Regiment which has been out on Picket duty (13 miles out) over 2 weeks received an order 2 days ago to come down to the City, so day before yesterday the Right Wing tramped down 13 miles, some of the boys carrying knapsacks. The rest got there on the train somehow. Yesterday the left wing came down...I've got something more to say of our Regiment. When a City is under martial law, a Regiment is put on what they call Patrol Guard...Our Pickets were attacked several times by the Rebel Cavalry Pickets, but no one was shot on our side, though ten were taken prisoners. Poor fellows, they are all dragged out. They have had a hard time of it, but a few weeks Patrol will recruit them up..." The first page has some cross hatch writing and light soiling, else very good. $150-200