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Civil War Soldier's Letters (3) by John W. Reed of the 54th Indiana Volunteers.. ...
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Description
Civil War Soldier's Letters (3) by John W. Reed of the 54th Indiana Volunteers.Three letters to Enos Hadley in Plainfield, Indiana, totaling nine pages on two bifolia and one sheet, dated November 16, 1862 to August 21, 1863. Reed's letters offer detailed accounts of camp life, skirmishing along the Mississippi, and the capture of Arkansas Post.
Writing from "Burnside Barracks" near Indianapolis on November 16, 1862, Reed describes low morale among the newly raised regiment as it prepared to leave Indiana: "We are camped in Barracks just south of Camp Morton and we are having a nice time here but there is no furloughs to be given, and there is twenty of our men broke guard and gone home...There is a strong talk of us leaving here and I don't care how soon there is so much talk about furloughs the boys don't talk about anything else...the boys are breaking guard every night and there are all the Corporals and three of our sergeants gone out of our Company...I wish that we would have to leave here soon, for the boys are all a grumbling about furloughs and while they are in this fix they cant see no pleasure. The health is good in camp except about one hundred that has got the measles and some of them are really bad."
The regiment joined Sherman's Yazoo Expedition in December 1862, fighting at Chickasaw Bayou and later at Arkansas Post. In his letter of January 28, 1863, Reed recounts the difficult campaign along the river and the capture of Fort Hindman:
"We have had a very hard time since we left Indiana we left Indianapolis the 9th of Dec 1862...the 20th of Dec 1862, we got on the boat and started down the river for Vicksburg...on the 26th we got off of the boat and started to advance on the pickets and they fired on us but we drove them back a half mile...the next morning we fought all day making one bayonet charge drove the enemy back to their second breast works this was on Sunday on Monday we commenced fighting at four oclock in the morning...we made a charge on their breast works but could not take them we left a great number of men on the field but their loss was as great as ours if not greater...that night we went to the boat...we moved up the river to the mouth of the Arkansas river and went up it about 80 or 100 miles & we landed there the 10th at day light we went in to the fight and fought all day and lay on the field all night and the fireing commenced at day light and was kept up all day until four oclock in the evening we captured the whole force amounting to 8,500, 350 mules & horses, 100 fat cattle 50 barrels of pork and many other government stores."
After further action at Port Gibson, Vicksburg, and Jackson, the 54th Indiana moved to New Orleans. Reed's final letter of August 21, 1863, notes the relative calm of their new station and the unexpected presence of Southern Unionists:
"We have moved some distance down the river since I wrote to you last we are camped in an open field six miles from new Orleans but as to how long we will stay here is more than I am able to say. The camp rumor is that we will go to Mobile, if we do we can get a few more shots at the rebs yet before our term of service expires...I find a great many Union men in the south as well as rebbles. They say they are of the opinion that we will conquer the south in one year more but I think it is doubtful for the Army in the east are not doing the work as fast as they ought to..."
Condition: All letters lightly toned with smoothed folds and scattered soiling or foxing. November 16 letter with separations at folds, repaired with archival tissue on the verso; rough left edge where integral page was removed; a few small chips and minor edge loss occasionally touching text but not affecting legibility. January 28 letter with long separations at the right edge of the first page, touching text; pinhole through upper right corner of all pages. Bottom half of page four on August 21 letter removed with rough edges, not affecting text.
Auction Info
2025 December 8 Arms & Armor, Civil War & Militaria Signature® Auction #6325 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2025
8th
Monday
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