1862 Civil War Letter 100th Pennsylvania / Battle of Secessionville w/ Book

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1862 Civil War Letter 100th Pennsylvania / Battle of Secessionville w/ Book:
$399.95

1862 Civil War Letter 100th Pennsylvania / Battle of Secessionville w/ Book Description:

Up for sale is a Civil War letter dated July 7th 1862 with original cover. This was written by Private E.R. Miles, 100th Pennsylvania Regiment (Roundheads), Second Brigade after the battle of Secessionville, South Carolina on June 16th 1862 to his sister H.R. Miles. This is a very important document as it describes the days before and after the Union lost the only attempt to capture Charleston, South Carolina by land during the war. The letter reads that his officer ordered him and the other men in the company to charge with bayonets only a Confederate Fort that was firing rifles and cannons. Surprisingly or just luck only four men lost their lives which there names are in the letter. Since 1800’s script is hard to read to some people including me I have a copy of the letter contents below which will a copy will be included when shipped. Included is a 6 ¼” x 9 ¼” hardcover book with 394 pages titled Secessionville Assault on Charleston. This book is a nice addition to the letter as it describes in chronological order details of the days, weeks and months before and after the battle. You will read that everything written in this letter is in this book. You will also know what happen to the officer that commanded this regiment after the battle. I offer free next day USPS mail shipping for USA winners only. I do not offer returns on any of my items as you are guaranteed satisfaction per ’s stated return policy. If you have any questions on this or any other question please email.Hilton Head, S.C. July 7th, 1862
H. R. Miles Dear Sister
I received you epistle of the 23rd & was glad to hear from the school marm and more that she is getting along so well with her children. I will begin at the first day of June & the first hour of the day. Well, on the 30th day of May we got marching orders to be ready to go at a moments notice. Well then we got orders to go the first morning of June to march at 2 o’clock in the morning. Well we started at the hour appointed and marched down to the wharf and there was several boats lying there waiting for us, Well we loaded on our baggage on the Steamer Potomac & embarked on her ourselves & started & it was day light by that time & we sailed down to Hilton Head that day & lay on the boat that night then started in the morning for someplace unknown to us but we sailed that day & night on the blue rolling sea & landed the morning of the 3rd of June James Island. Well it was ------- desolate fighting looking place. Well the first thing was to drive the Rebel;s back to get room to stay on ourselves. Well we had mighty sharp times for a while at that business but we succeeded but we lost some men in the operations. The Rebels took 13 prisoner & we took some of them. Well then we came back and laid down in an old cotton patch & it was raining all this time as hard as it could out it down. Well it rained all that week day and night & part of the next & our guns & ammunition was all wet & we had a good old time keeping the Rebels back with the bayonet & we had no tents with us. We had to take the weather as it came. Well then we commenced to plant siege guns & build batteries to shell the Rebels out of there entrenchments & fortifications. Well we worked on that day and night, wet and dry to the 15th of the month, Then Monday morning of the 16th we was called up at 2 o’clock to fight and away we went & a sorrowful day we had of it you had better believe. We tried to take a fort by a charge bayonet but we failed in the attempt & had to retreat back to our old ground & that didn’t go down well with us. There was 4 of our company killed, James A Parker was one of them. J T McCaflin, Augustus Reed, and Calvin Book. You used to know him when he came to our school. They lived where James Thorp lives now. Well then we worked harder than ever building fortifications. Well we worked day and night, Sunday & every other day till a few days ago we got orders to evacuate the Island. We couldn’t hold that the Rebels was reinforcing & would kill & take us all prisoners. Well then we went to work to get our cannons off & that was three times as hard work as putting them there but it had to be done. Well we got everything off & have got back to old Hilton Head where there is no Rebels to bother us. We left James Island the morning of the 4th of July & that is the way we put in my 4th on the old blue Atlantic. We landed here in the evening about 8 o’clock & it was still raining. I tell you we had a ----- old month it. The people about home can talk about the war but they can never tried it yet & never saw hard times yet. My paper is done & with these few lines I will leave you. Write soon. H R Miles from your Brother E R Miles.

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