LOT #47080 |
Sold on Feb 22, 2023 for: Not Sold
[Civil War]. Collection of Letters Relating to David R. Kenyon, 7th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment. ...
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Description
"We trust at some future time to be reunited when the absent ones shall have fulfilled the call of duty and patriotism, and our whole country shall again acknowledge its fealty to the government and the Star Spangled Banner shall again wave from Maine to Texas..."
[Civil War]. Collection of Letters Relating to David R. Kenyon,
7th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment. A group of ten letters sent
to David R. Kenyon (1833-1897), dating from October 3, 1862 to
October 20, 1863, with one additional undated war-time letter. The
letters were sent from friends and fellow Rhode Island soldiers and
range between one and eight pages in length. Kenyon was
commissioned into Company A of the 7th Rhode Island Infantry as a
first lieutenant on September 4, 1862. He was wounded in action at
the Battle of Fredericksburg and resigned on March 3, 1863.
Following his resignation, he was commissioned into the Rhode
Island Militia as a colonel. The letters discuss war news,
including the siege of Vicksburg, family gossip and administrative
matters. Several were penned by Rhode Island soldiers Albert P.
Perry, Elisha M. Palmer, Edwin S. Hunt, Daniel B. Rodman and
William M. Longstreet. Partial typed transcriptions accompany five
of the letters.The first letter in the collection was sent by George H. Olney from Wyoming on October 1862, a month after Kenyon's commission. A friend of Kenyon's, he playfully responds to the news of his rank before expressing his hope that the war will end soon. "Ten thousand apologies for my thoughtless indiscretion in my letter to Lieut. Morton. Had I been in the least degree aware of the nature of the radical transformation which civilians seem to undergo when they become United States officers, I should have reflected deeply upon the subject before venturing to use words denoting the profoundest veneration and respect. I hope the above will be a balm to you injured dignity and save this vicinity the necessity of your 'Excellency's' presence... We trust at some future time to be reunited when the absent ones shall have fulfilled the call of duty and patriotism, and our whole country shall again acknowledge its fealty to the government and the Star Spangled Banner shall again wave from Maine to Texas, and during a 'recess' of five or ten minutes hear them recount the story of the dangers they have faced and the toils and privations they have undergone. God grant that this may be the case, and that this cursed war may soon end."
Kenyon was wounded in the leg at Fredericksburg and resigned in March 1863. Shortly after this, he was commissioned a colonel in the 8th Rhode Island Militia. Despite his resignation, Kenyon continued to received letters from his men in the 7th, who went on to participate in the siege of Vicksburg, among other engagements. On August 3, 1863, Privates Palmer and Perry wrote a lengthy letter to Kenyon, describing the fight on the Mississippi. (Misspellings have not been altered). "...we have seen perty Hard time since we have ben in this State. We have had Hard marches and short Rasions besides sufering Gratley form the Heat. When we came into this State we Landed in the Rear of Vicksburge you better believe that there was quite a racked in seazing Vicksburg but that did not scare us for we had of hurd it before... We threw out pickets and after arriving there the Rebs took quite a fancy in Popping at our Pickets. They Killed and Wounded quite a number of our men... we reseve orders that Jonson had left, we took up in crosing the river amediately and persede after him. We Drove him into Jackson witch is about the Distant of 65 miles from Vicksburge. There he made a stand against us to Defend the Capitol of Mississippi but he did not do much good altho he worked up quite a number of our poor Boys and of our Corps, our Regt lay in the Field 48 hours and Skermish with him 24 hours. We lost 2 kiled and 15 wonded..."
After the war, Kenyon worked in Rhode Island's manufacturing and mill industry. He died in Richmond, Rhode Island in 1897.
Condition: Very light scattered soiling and foxing.
Auction Info
2023 February 22 Historical Manuscripts Signature® Auction #6260 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
February, 2023
22nd
Wednesday
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