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Civil War Soldier's Letters and a Valentine by James Fisk of the 8th New York Heavy Artillery, with Siege of Petersburg Conten...
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Civil War Soldier's Letters and a Valentine by James Fisk of the 8th New York Heavy Artillery, with Siege of Petersburg Content. A collection of ten letters, seven of which are accompanied by their original transmittal covers. Seven of the letters are war-dated, ranging from November 5, 1862 to August 3, 1864. The group also includes a wartime Valentine accompanied by its original illustrated transmittal cover dated February 17. The letters are written in both pencil and ink and range in size from 3" x 3" to 5.5" x 10.25".The 8th New York Heavy Artillery was organized on December 12, 1862. They fought for the majority of the Civil War and were mustered out on June 5, 1865. They fought at numerous battles including Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, Deep Bottom, the Siege of Petersburg, and Appomattox Court House. Though technically an artillery regiment, the men of the 8th New York carried rifles and were drilled as infantry. They suffered heavy losses throughout the war. In total, the regiment lost twenty-three officers and 640 enlisted men to injuries and illness during service.
Private James Fisk mustered into Company A on August 11, 1862, and died of disease on April 4, 1865, after being held as a prisoner of war at Reams' Station, Virginia. Addressed to his sister, Sara, the missives provide firsthand accounts of the regiment's service in Baltimore, nearby Fort McHenry, and the Siege of Petersburg.
On July 1, 1863, Fisk writes from Pickesville, Maryland to describe a recent failed engagement with rebel forces: "Well Sara I am out again in the country. I am out on a signal cor [sic]. It is to send news to the citty [sic] I am out from the fort 15 miles and rebles [sic] are about five miles from whare [sic] I am. Well the 28th of June there was a fight well thare [sic] was a signal went through I took my flag and passed it through. Well boys sed [sic] I that meens [sic] fight they though so too so I fired off my gun and cleened [sic] it and loaded it again. Just then thare [sic] was a ofersir [sic] come on hors [sic] back as fast as he could ride and when he come up he sed [sic] looke [sic] boys the rebeles [sic] are coming he sed [sic] that they ware [sic] onley [sic] 2 miles off he sed [sic] take care of your selves as well as you can. The first thing I don [sic] was to put on my cartarge [sic] box and belt and then we started for the woods thare [sic] was three of us. Well after we got to the woods we stoped [sic] and looked around but we could not see anything. We waited about half anour [sic] and then we come back again and they ware [sic] not in site yet and they did not come in site. But they come within 6 miles of us. And that we raled [sic] together but we did not have (or hare [sic]) anything. I was so mad to think that officer told us such a ly [sic]. The fight at Westminerster [sic] it was not much of a fight our folks did not have onley [sic] one company of caverlery [sic] and they had 4 companys [sic] so they whip them. They kiled [sic] 12 and took 50 prisners [sic] with the wonded [sic] in the hole company thare [sic] wasent [sic] onley [sic] 106 men. I suppose that you have sen [sic] it in the papers. Well mother you see that I have run once I could not help lafin [sic] to think what fools we ware [sic] to run I never run again till I see the color of there [sic] coats."
Narrowly avoided by Fisk, much to his chagrin, the fight at Westminster became known as Corbit's Charge and was an important skirmish in the lead-up to the Battle of Gettysburg. On June 28, two companies from the 1st Delaware Cavalry, numbering less than 100 men, arrived in Westminster to guard the important railroad junction in town. Upon learning of approaching Confederate troops, Captain Charles Corbit led a charge through the streets of Westminster. As noted by Fisk, the endeavor was a complete failure. Rather than facing a small unit, Corbit's men encountered General J.E.B. Stuart along with nearly 6,000 veteran cavalry soldiers. Though Union forces suffered heavy casualties, the engagement forced Stuart to spend the night in Westminster, thereby arriving late to Gettysburg. Historians have mused whether Gettysburg might have ended in a Confederate victory had Stuart's cavalry arrived sooner.
Over a year later, Fisk describes his experience at the First Battle of Deep Bottom. On August 3, 1864, he writes, in part: "Well Sarah we have been on a rade [sic] and we had a very hard march we marched 35 miles one knight [sic] and in the morning we ware [sic] drawn up in line of battle and we advanced on them and tok [sic] 4 pieces of arttelary [sic] and 4 or 5 stands of collers [sic] from them I tell you that we cleaned them out thare [sic] the places name is Deep Bottom we staied [sic] thare [sic] 2 days and then we started back again and in the morning we ware [sic] made all ridy [sic] in case we should be wanted we ware [sic] ordered to make a charge but old Handcock [sic] told them that his men was not in a fit condeashin [sic] to make a charge so we laid thare [sic] all day and at knight [sic] we marched to our old camp and we lay thare [sic] yet."
Part of the Siege of Petersburg, the First Battle of Deep Bottom was fought on July 27-29, 1864, in Henrico County, Virginia. Union forces led by Major Generals Winfield S. Hancock and Philip H. Sheridan advanced on an expedition towards Richmond as a means to lure Confederate troops away from the Petersburg defensive line. Although soldiers failed to break through rebel fortifications, they did achieve their goal of temporarily reducing the Confederate presence at Petersburg.
Fisk offers Sarah a candid depiction of life as a traveling soldier. On July 4, 1864, less than a month before the 8th New York arrived at Deep Bottom, Fisk wrote, "We have our camp in the woods and we have got good warter [sic] whare [sic] we are now and we get enough to eat to [sic]. It is not like marching in the dust you sed [sic] that they could not tell a boy from an old man well that is so for the dust wold [sic] blow and the swet [sic] wold [sic] run and we wold [sic] be all mud and when we wold [sic] come to a warter [sic] hole we wold [sic] take our cups and dip in if it was all mud that did not make any difarence [sic] for I have drink out of a hole whare [sic] this green stuf [sic] was on it and it tasted very good to [sic]."
The lot includes three undated letters, one of which is written on patriotic stationery with a colored engraving of Lady Liberty bearing the Stars and Stripes. There is also a wartime Valentine with cover addressed to "Miss Hillen Knowles." Valentine envelopes with elaborate embossed or printed fronts became popular in the United States in the 1840s. This particular example depicts an extravagantly dressed woman in the arms of a soldier in his full dress uniform surrounded by lavish décor and an angel in the upper right corner. The card features a three-dimensional design with a tent that can be opened to reveal a soldier writing with the faint image of a woman, presumably a vision of his sweetheart, standing behind him.
Condition: All letters creased along mail folds and exhibit minor staining, toning, small separations, and minor paper loss, not affecting text. All covers exhibit heavier toning, staining, and paper loss. Cover dated August 8 has the right lower corner partially detached. Cover for November 5, 1862 letter is affixed to a sheet of paper. Valentine envelope has paper loss at all four margins, affecting the illustration, and has cello tape at the left, right, and bottom margins as well as the flap, causing discoloration. Heavily toned throughout.
Auction Info
2023 September 21 Historical Manuscripts Signature® Auction #6272 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
September, 2023
21st
Thursday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 2
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 249
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