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Civil War Soldier's Letters by Leonard B. Blinn, 100th Ohio Infantry, with Libby Prison Content. ... (Total: 2 )
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Description
Civil War Soldier's Letters by Leonard B. Blinn, 100th Ohio Infantry, with Libby Prison Content. An archive of thirty-six letters dated February 13, 1863 to November 18, 1864; two postwar letters dated April 12, 1865 and August 4, 1865; six original transmittal covers; one receipt from the United States Express Co. dated November 20, 1863; one newspaper clipping dated June 1887; and one postwar photograph. The letters are written in pencil and ink and measure, on average, 4.25" x 7.25".Leonard B. Blinn enlisted on April 25, 1861 and was commissioned into Company C of the 21st Ohio Infantry as a second lieutenant. He mustered out on August 12, 1861. One month later, he was commissioned into Company A of the 100th Ohio Infantry with the same rank. He was promoted to captain on May 13, 1863 and resigned on March 3, 1865.
During the time in which these letters were written, Blinn belonged to the 100th Ohio Infantry. Organized from July to September 1862, the regiment fought in several major campaigns. A year into their service, the 100th Ohio surrendered to Confederate forces at the Battle of Limestone Station on September 8, 1863 and were taken prisoner for several months. After their eventual exchange, soldiers participated in the Atlanta Campaign and subsequent siege on the city, the Battle of Nashville, and the surrender of Johnston's army.
For the entirety of the letters written here, Blinn was held as a prisoner of war in three different Confederate prisons. He documented his entire experience, writing often to his wife. On September 14, 1863, Blinn wrote on his way to Libby Prison, "You will no doubt be surprised to find me here but such is the case. I am well and as cheerful as the circumstances of the case will permit. I with fifteen other officers and 238 men were captured at Big Limestone Creek, Tennessee, Sept 8th after fighting from sunrise to 4 P.M. Sargeant [sic] Charles Abbott of Portage was wounded in the face. Corporal Andrew Brownsberger was wounded in the hip. Both of the above were sent to the rear and I think they were not captured, as they were wounded in the morning. Cpl. J.D. Smith...was wounded in the leg, Pvt. Charles Fowler was wounded in the arm. They are both prisoners."
Located in an old tobacco factory outside of Richmond, Libby Prison housed Union soldiers throughout the entirety of the war. Prisoners dubbed the facility the "Inferno of the slave Confederacy" and Union inmates faced chronic starvation, unsanitary living conditions, and harsh physical punishment. By the end of 1863, more than 1,000 prisoners were sequestered at the prison and forced to live in only two rooms with open windows that left them exposed to the elements.
Blinn's spirits quickly deteriorated. On November 18, 1863, he wrote, "It is now nearly three months long dreary months since I have been a prisoner. Can you imagine how hard it is to look through the bars at the world outside and not be permitted to enjoy any of its comforts. The news today are discouraging there is no prospect of an immediate exchange. How long we are to remain here time can only tell. However I will try to bear up cheerfully as possible until we are liberated."
Again, on March 28, 1864, he wrote, "It is now about seven months since we were captured. It seems as if we would get used to confinement. But such is not the case. And the long confinement begins to tell sadly upon strong and vigorous young men. However, we do our best to keep up courage and spirits."
A month later, on April 20, 1864, Blinn described a tragic accident between a rebel guard and one of the prisoners: "Lt. Duncan Forsyth of our Regiment was shot dead two weeks ago by the accidental discharge of a gun in the hands of a Rebel Guard. His remains were sent to Toledo. Poor fellow had no warning. I stood but a few feet from him. The ball entered in his left eye and came out at the back of his head. His brains and skull were scattered all over his chair and the floor. It killed him instantly. He hardly uttered a groan. It was the most humble thing I ever wittnessed [sic]."
In May 1864, Blinn was transferred from Libby Prison to Camp Oglethorpe in Macon, Georgia. During the journey, Blinn and a fellow soldier unsuccessfully attempted to escape. In a May 29 letter to his wife, Blinn wrote, "It has been some time since I have heard from you. We left Danville, Va. on the 11th for this place. Capt. Hunt and myself made our escape on the 16th by getting out of a hole cut in the cars. We got out while the cars were running. We were out five days and nights when we were recaptured. We suffered a great deal for want of water and eatables. They caught us by putting dogs on our tracks and running us down. If it had not been for the hounds we would have been home by the middle of June...You can not imagine how disappointed we feel. We done our best but could not elude their dogs. I am well at present. A great many officers are getting sick. It is worse than Libby."
Camp Oglethorpe opened as a Confederate prison in 1862. Although the facility was essentially abandoned in 1863 due to high rates of prisoner exchanges, the deterioration of such trade-offs as well as Union General William T. Sherman's Georgia Campaign resulted in an increasingly large inmate population by 1864. Camp Oglethorpe gained a reputation amongst Union soldiers as one of the easiest prisons from which they could escape due to the numerous tunnels underneath the main living quarters. Blinn detailed his own three escape attempts in a postwar letter written in 1922, featured in lot 47086.
From Georgia, the Rebels transferred the prisoners to Charleston before marching them to the Columbia Prison in South Carolina. On September 28, 1864, Blinn reflected on his time as a POW, writing, "It is now nearly thirteen months since I have been a prisoner Is it not to [sic] cruel. I hope and pray I may be released soon Capt. Taylor of our Regt. and Capt H.H. Poe have both been exchanged. But there seems to be no prospect for me. I guess my friends at home have forgotten me." Blinn ultimately escaped from the Columbia Prison on November 26, 1864.
Condition: All letters creased along folds. Intermittent toning, staining, and foxing. Irregular margins on some letters.
Auction Info
2023 September 21 Historical Manuscripts Signature® Auction #6272 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
September, 2023
21st
Thursday
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