Description:

YANKEE DEAD AT CHANCELLORSVILLE ARE CONSUMED BY CROWS
Superb content A.L.S. by Confederate soldier James Kent Lewis of the 16th N. C. Infy., 4pp. 8vo., "In the woods near Fredericksburg Va. May 22nd 1863", to his mother. The 22-year-old private writes, in part: "...I am in very good health...I suffered with rheumatism all the time I was out in that scrape. I was in the fighting five days and nights without any sleep hardly and no food but what I took out of the haversacks of the dead yankees. I didn't get hurt by their bullets but want of sleep and starvation came pretty near putting me through. I was touched on the hand by a cannon ball on Friday evening & on Sunday a treetop cut off by a ball fell on me & hurt me a little; on Wednesday morning one of the yankee sharpshooters shot the sight off my rifle but I paid him for it with interest. I took several prisoners & got lots of letters out the yanks knapsacks; some of them very interesting, particularly some who were writing to their sweethearts; the boasting braggadocio style of which would make you think there was but little chance for us poor rebels. I wonder that the women of the north should ever correspond with such bloodthirsty creatures. But they were particularly tame on the battlefield, all that ferocity seemed to be merged into the more sensible & laudable desire of taking care of No. 1....Our supply of genuine coffee (captured) has not failed us yet. We get plenty of bacon & bread...Then I run the blockade every once in a while and catch as many fish out of the run as I want...So I am living high and getting fat...I was fishing in the river a day or two ago and found several dead yanks who had floated down from the place where they were shot on the pontoon bridge. The eels had eat many a meal off of them and the carrion crows were picking their eyes out when I found them. It turned my appetite for fish; I haven't eaten any since. Our corps of skirmishers came mighty nigh playing out in our late row. Nearly all were killed or missing. We had a target shooting today for the first time since the battle...We will have to call another Regt. now to recruit our ranks by volunteers. The 48th Va. was cut all to pieces and the 42nd. too...". Despite his good luck at this battle, poor Lewis would be struck down at Gettysburg just six weeks later on July 1, 1863. Neatly penned on the typical brown Confederate letter sheet, dampstaining and general wear. With original envelope, very good condition.

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

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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