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Civil War Soldier's Letters by Joseph Foreman, 126th Ohio Infantry....
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Description
Civil War Soldier's Letters by Joseph Foreman, 126th Ohio Infantry. An archive of eighteen letters dated October 19, 1862 to August 23, 1864 and fifteen original transmittal covers. Letters are written in pencil and ink and measure from 4.5" x 2.25" to 7.25" x 9.25". Foreman mustered into Company F of the 126th Ohio Infantry on September 4, 1862, and was discharged because of wounds on May 15, 1865.The 126th Ohio Infantry served throughout most of the Civil War, organizing in 1862 and disbanding in 1865. Its soldiers fought in a number of battles. This includes the pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap, Wapping Heights, Brandy Station, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House as well as the Bristoe and Shenandoah Valley Campaigns. They concluded their service by guarding Confederate prisoners at Burkesville.
Foreman wrote to his wife throughout the war and this collection features his experiences both on the front lines and away from the action. On August 6, 1863, he wrote from Union headquarters near the Rappahannock River, commenting on the near-constant conflict in the Virginia countryside: "Their [sic] is frequently cannonading heard in the direction of Culpeper Court House which is I supposed our cavalry a skirmishing [sic] with the rebels it is supposed that old Lee's army is south - at the Rapidan River which is about twenty miles from here and cavalry frequently have a fight them. I don't think it's Lee's intention to fight us now if he can help it - he declines all offers of battle. For my part I can't tell what the people are to do for a living it is the most god forsaken country imaginable. They are out of grain and what they had sown last fall is all destroyed."
A month after Foreman wrote this letter, Union and Confederate forces skirmished at Culpeper Court House on September 13, 1863. Union Major General Alfred Pleasanton crossed the Rappahannock River to attack Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart's headquarters at Culpeper. Federal forces pushed the rebels south and occupied the town the next day. The victory acted as a key lead-up to the Bristoe Campaign in October and November 1863.
Five months later, Foreman described his experiences on the picket line. On January 22, 1864, he wrote from Brandy Station, "You wanted to know if we are allowed fire on picket. Yes we have all the fire we want the general reserve picket line is stationed along the bank of a hill where we can fire without having in view by the enemy while their [sic] is a line of lookout pickets stationed on top of the hill and relieved as often as convenient when they can go to the fire." Six months earlier, Union forces captured Brandy Station from the Confederates in a critical victory that marked the end of Confederate cavalry domination in the east.
Foreman remained at Brandy Station for five more months before receiving orders to march towards Confederate forces at the North Anna River. On May 24, 1864, he wrote, "We have marching almost day and night for the last three days our brigade is now guarding the ammunition train and is rear guard of the army we have been no hard fights since the 12th but we have been in several sharp skirmishes. There is a good deal of fighting going on today mostly by the 2nd corp they had about 800 prisoners...we succeeded in flanking on Lee and made him skedadle [sic] his best but he has made a stand today on the south Anna river. I don't know how long we will be guards but for a few days."
Foreman wrote that letter during then Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's march towards Richmond after a disappointing stalemate at Spotsylvania Court House three weeks earlier. On May 24, 1864, Union troops confronted rebel forces on the south side of the North Anna River. As described by Foreman, Grant outflanked General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in a Union victory.
Throughout the summer of 1864, Foreman joined a number of raids, describing one of the excursions in a July 2 letter. He wrote, "Since I last wrote to you the 6th Corps has been on a raid on last Wednesday we got called to be ready to march we started for to strike the Petersburgh...Rail road for the purpose of destroying it we accordingly started and marched...and gained the road without much opposition. We burned the station at Oak Hill..."
A month later, Foreman reported his experience at the Battle of Summit Point. On August 23, 1864, he wrote, "I wrote to you while close to Charles Town a few days ago and I thought we would camp there some time but yesterday morning the rebs spoiled all our calculations. They attacked our pickets in such force as to drive them almost before we could get a skirmish line formed. But we finally got into line and sent a brigade of the 2nd Div to support the skirmish line and formed the rest of the corps in two lines of battle. But we did not become engaged as the front line succeeded in pushing the enemy back with heavy loss on both sides. I cannot tell yet what our loss will be the 8th and 9th corps was also engaged. We held our line all day and we fell back to this place which is close to Harper's Ferry. The enemy attacked our cavalry this morning in heavy force but they succeeded in driving them back. I expect they will attempt another raid into Maryland or Tenn if they can. I hardly think they will get it done but if they do I expect they will make a good mess of Chambersburg affairs as we done a goodeal [sic] of destroying property as we fell back down the valley. I can't tell what their force is but it is said to be very large."
On August 21, 1864, Union Major General Philip Sheridan met Confederate Major Generals Jubal Early and Richard H. Anderson near Charles Town, West Virginia. Facing converging columns, Sheridan withdrew his forces the next day. Although Union troops retreated, they captured Winchester only two weeks later and opened the door to Federal control of the Shenandoah Valley.
Condition: Creasing at folds for all letters. Intermittent staining and toning, sometimes affecting text.
Auction Info
2023 September 21 Historical Manuscripts Signature® Auction #6272 (go to Auction Home page)
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