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Lt. John Hudson of the 35th Massachusetts Infantry Autograph Letter Signed on the Battle of Antietam and the Assault on Burnsi...
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Lt. John Hudson of the 35th Massachusetts Infantry Autograph Letter Signed on the Battle of Antietam and the Assault on Burnside Bridge. Thirty-eight pages on nine bifolia, 4.75" x 7.75", "Camp at Pleasant Valley, Md."; October 16 to 18, 1862. During the third phase of the Battle of Antietam, Major General McClellan called upon General Burnside and the IX Corps to attempt a crossing of Antietam Creek by way of a 125-foot stone bridge, now known as Burnside Bridge. A treacherous mission, as the road nearby was exposed to enemy fire and the west bank of the bridge was composed of a wooded bluff nearly 100 feet high, which allowed significant cover for Confederate sharpshooters and artillery and left Union soldiers bottlenecked and exposed on the bridge. These hazardous conditions resulted in a two failed crossing attempts over the course of the afternoon. It wasn't until the third attempt, led by Colonel Edward Ferrero, that the bridge was successfully seized, though the maneuver still took several hours and tallied numerous causalities.First Lieutenant John W. Hudson (1836-1872) mustered into Company D of the 35th Massachusetts Infantry on August 16, 1862, just one month before the Battle of Antietam. During the battle, Lt. Hudson served as an aide to Colonel Ferrero of the 51st Pennsylvania Volunteers and was responsible for delivering Ferrero's orders to officers in the field. His position as an aide meant he was privy to conversations between officers during the attack, which provided unique insight into the organization of the operation.
Hudson's exhaustive letter to his sweetheart, Sophy [Sophia Mellen], describes the chaos of the crossing in extreme detail, including drawings of troop formations and one of Burnside Bridge. He also drew a diagram map [6.25" x 7.75] of the attack, including the bridge and the woody knoll where 500 Confederates, under Brig. Gen. Toombs, fired upon the bridge during the attempts at crossing. A typed transcription accompanies the letter. It reads in part:
"...I will dedicate...in writing until I am sleepy, about the action on the Antietam...Prepare yourself for the narration by unlearning nearly all you have learned about Burnside's command that day...The 1st reg. of ours wh. moved forward, filed by the left flank through the 'Entrance' into the cornfield, & passing some distance down marched...partly across it, until, fronting, it was faced to the enemy line of battle...
The 35th was still partly down the hill as indicated in the diagram, when the rest of the regmts. were in the cornfield...and I hastened forward to be with Col. F. [Edward Ferrero]... Into this open place the whole brigade came out. Before we got there H.Q., and probably many others, knew that there was a bridge to be taken 'at once'...Burnside is reported to have said, 'Send down the 2nd Brigade - I know they will take it.' Col. F. mindful of his already used up...force said Nagle [Gen. James Nagle] ought to do it, but Sturgis [Gen. Samuel Sturgis] said 'Go on.'...While we were in the open place, the 21st Mass. were put in line quite near the fence...Also while there we saw the 51st Penn. rush (not very fast - tired soldiers don't go very fast) from the immediate neighborhood of one or the other knoll...to the end of the bridge, and commence a brisk firing...
The move across the bridge may be described thus...not hesitating to obey an order which they knew to be the will of McLellan [sic] and the direct command of Burnside, through Sturgis & Ferrero, the regimental officers moved without hesitation, and the men at once followed the example...the whole column while on the bridge appeared like an irregular mob moving nervously, but at a snail's pace, toward the enemy...But there was no turning back...The column kept up its snail pace, passed the bridge, took the road to the right till it was clear of the bridge, and then, being out of ammunition or nearly so, took position on the sloping bank of the creek, probably to escape and enfilading fire down the road, if one should come.
The rebs. were posted behind trees & natural projections of the rocky, wood covered, sloped, along the brow of the slope...they had wounded many upon the knolls, left the effect of their fire all along the low land near the road, and galled the assailants of the bridge a good deal, almost without being seen... Meantime the hill beyond the stream must be occupied by as much of a force as possible. The 35th must be sent across. 'Hudson, tell your Col. to cross the bridge immediately, move along the road to the right, form line and advance up the hill.'...The order was obeyed...and before I saw any of our men again. Lt. Baldwin had been hit by a piece of shell coming from the direction to the right of the 35th line, and one of our privates cut in two by the same piece...
When I was very near the point of turning into the road across the bridge, a shell came from the right, burst, and whizzed along the slope just above the precipitous bank beyond the road. And then another...I looked back and was pained to see Lt. Col. Bell [Thomas S. Bell], rather a young man, of extensive military knowledge, a very pleasing acquaintance, and a much lamented officer, being borne toward the abutment of the bridge backward so that he faced me, with a dark blue wound along his left temple and his eyes growing dim...Col. B. lived about 10 minutes and I never saw his form again. He had crossed the bridge with his regmt. unhurt, but was the one to be hit by a fragment of shell from that random artillery fire...
The 35th had advanced in line up, and over the brow of, an elevation, & halfway down the other side, to a lane running crosswise...There they had taken position & some shelter and given the rebs. battles to the extent of their ammunition. Co. D. was now next but one on the right and was saved from heavy loss by good management & partly by accident of position. It was not Capt. King's compy. nor Capt. Gibson's compy, nor any other that 'saved the day'...They all did well, their losses depending more upon management than upon courage. That night reb. pickets picked the pockets of the men whom we sought & whose groans we distinctly heard...I retired to the bridge, borrowed a shelter tend to lie on, not under, camped down in the dirt just at the foot of the bank at the end of the bridge & slept..."
Hudson went on to participate in the battles of Fredericksburg, Knoxville, North Anna River, Cold Harbor, and the siege of Petersburg. He served on the staff of Generals Ferrero, Ledlie, and White. He ultimately received the rank of lieutenant colonel before he mustered out at Alexandria, Virginia in June 1865. Lt. Hudson is mentioned extensively throughout History of the Thirty-Fifth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, 1862-1865.
Condition: Pushpin located in the fifth bifolia attaching a separate page. Very minor edgewear in a few places. Gently rubbed.
Auction Info
2022 June 4 Historical Manuscripts Signature® Auction #6247 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2022
4th
Saturday
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