Description:

UNION SOLDIER'S CORRESPONDENCE
A letter grouping written by Private Elbridge Pond, MA 2nd Heavy Artillery, all written to Charles Squire, includes sixteen letters, all with covers and three pieces of Confederate currency. In part: "...[May 26, '62, Irvington]Jeff Davis is at liberty. I expect you know it seems rather hard for a soldier to think he should let off so easy...[Sep. 27, '63, Newbern, NC] we fired a salute of our guns yesterday in honor of the capture of 25000 prisoners and several light pieces by General Sheridan...[Nov. 12, '63, Morehead City] on my way to Boston I got there about 1 o'clock. I was sworn in the 11 of Aug. we left the state the 11 of Sep. we have been out here 2 months...[July 3, '64, Newbern]they expect to be attacked before long. They are sending the 100 days men...to Washington...[Aug. 28, '64, Newbern] [I] think the war will end before next July. Along with a brief letter from Newbern, Oct. 14,'64, with three State of North Carolina 10 cent fractional currency. Then Oct. 31,'64, Newbern, in part, "all you see is niggers passing to and fro with a washtub on their head" and later, "My bunk mate is dead. He died with the yellow fever...[Jan 7, '65] a soldier does not know much what is going on. Last night I heard firing up to Wilmington...[Feb 12, '65] the rifles we have we could not hit a 40 foot bacon. They are Enfields...[on the battle of Southwest Creek, April 8, '65, Kinston, N. C.] I suppose you have read all about the Battle of Southwest Creek...everything that we can find is confiscated by us. I think that the Rebellion is most gone up deserters are coming in every day...the rebs had gunpowder and whiskey drink in the battle. Old soldiers say that the balls flew as fast as they ever saw them...There was a battery planted behind us and we lay down and let them fire over us. The first time they fired so low that it killed 1 man and wounded 1 after they had fired a few times the rebel battery got good range of us and they made us dodge like the devil. They killed 3 battery horses with one shot and once or twice it came so near the caisson that the overcoats flew like feathers. A piece of shell fell within 5 feet of me...[July 2, '65, New Bern] I should be home by the 4th...the officers are giving the men a good chance to desert. The captain told the men...that if they went down town and staid over 24 hours their names would be struck from the rolls...[July 12, '65, New Bern] the men are dying off at the rate of 2 a day...there is a great many of our men have deserted from this regiment... the negro troops are doing duty in Newbern...". Pond was mustered out on Sep. 3, 1865 at Wilmington, NC. Overall very good.

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June 3, 2010 11:00 AM EDT
Stamford, CT, US

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