1863 Union Soldier’s Letter – Re: Emancipation Proclamation, Battle Flag

Description

1863 Union Soldier’s Letter – Re: Emancipation Proclamation, Battle Flag
Offered for your consideration is a very interesting letter, penned by a reasonably well informed private in the 82
nd
New York Infantry. Headlined “
Camp Near
Falmouth
” and dated “
March 8
th
/63
”, this letter was written to Private Emmet Irwin’s sister, though it is almost completely military related. He begins by telling her that “
I have not written to you in some time for the reason that I have had nothing to write
(.)
We are having very changeable weather followed by dry westerly winds so the roads are quite passable
…
I care not which way they advance
…
I do not pretend to be capable of laying plans but I believe they could be made to evacuate Richmond by taking and holding two Rail Road (Richmond & Weldon and Richmond & Lynchburg), one running through North Car the other East Tennessee thus cutting off all supplies
…”. Assuming that his sister would be thinking strategically, he writes that “…
you may say how would it be with Washington
(,)
as to that I have no fear
(.)
if our large armies were at these two vital points of the Confederacy they would have no men to spare to take that place and I believe it is generally know that there are a few forts with pretty play things mounted thereon
…”. Obviously opinionated, Irwin states that “…
I have to fight the whole company about carrying on the war and the Emancipation Proclamation
…
It is either make or brake with the government and if we let the south go bankruptcy will be sure to follow
…
In fact I am in for pushing it to the last dollar and last man
…
One of the most sensible things Congress has done during its setting is passing the Conscription Act
(.)
It is worth a rich victory to the old troops in the field to know the country means to carry the war on with more vigor that their thinned ranks are to be filled up that when we meet the traitorous foe we shall be enabled to do so with overwhelming numbers
…
As to the enemy the men where with to fill their ranks must be scarce as I see from an extract taken from the Richmond Dispatch of the 17
th
inst that 00 are offered for Substitutes
…”. The closing section is arguably the most interesting, as he notes that “…
I will enclose a description of the new set of Colors given to us the other day The State Color has the following 14 Battles inscribed Bull Run Edwards Ferry, Yorktown, West Point, Fair Oaks, Savages Station, Peach Orchard, Nelsons Farm, White Oak Swamp, Malvern Hills, Fairfax, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg
…”. The letter is signed at the conclusion with a request to “
Remember me to all
/
No more at present
/
I remain as ever
/
Your Brother
/
Emmet
”. A very interesting and opinionated letter, with a nice description of one of the 82
nd
New York Volunteer Infantry’s battle flags. Worthy of further research.
Emmet Irwin
was 23 years old when he enlisted on May 21, 1861 in New York City, New York. He was mustered in as a private into Company “C”, 82
nd
New York Volunteer Infantry on the same day as his enlistment. He served with that unit until his transfer on September 9, 1863 into the Veteran Reserve Corps. Records indicate that while Irwin was serving with the 82
nd
New York Infantry he was promoted to corporal, reduced to private, and again promoted to corporal. The date and method of his discharge is not given in the records.
The presently offered letter exhibits signs of significant period usage, followed by years of less than ideal long-term storage. Toning is noted across the entire surface, somewhat more pronounced on the second set of pages. This toning is also slightly darker at the edges and along the postal folds. The most obvious issue with this letter is the significant fading of the text. This has caused much of the material to require diligent effort to decipher (a modern transcript of the letter will be included). With effort, however, the majority of the text can be read. The letter was written in period ink on two different sized sheets of paper, though it would appear from the context that it was all penned at the same time (the soldier simply used what paper he had). As noted earlier, this letter was folded for insertion into an envelope for mailing, slightly affecting the integrity of the paper (there are small chips where the folds meet the edges). An additional fold at the bottom of the larger sheet is also noted. The smaller of the sheets measures approximately 4⅜ x 7 inches when folded and 7 x 8⅞ inches when laid flat, while the larger one measures approximately 4¾ x 7½ inches when folded and 7½ x 9½ inches when laid flat. Any additional questions regarding condition should be addressed before purchasing.
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Buy or Bid with Confidence – American Coins & Collectibles President Richie Self has worked 6 years as a paper money grader/authenticator. He has contributed to numerous reference books within the industry, as well as being a co-author of “The Comprehensive Catalog and History of Confederate Bonds, 2
nd
Edition” with Douglas B. Ball, Ph.D., Henry F. Simmons, M.D., Ph.D. and James R. Desabaye. Mr. Self is a life member of the American Numismatic Association, the Society of Paper Money Collectors, as well as numerous regional numismatic associations. He is an authorized submitter to NGC, PCGS, and PMG, a diamond founding member of Coin Dealers Helping Coin Dealers and a supporter of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets. American Coins and Collectibles can be found at many of the state and local coin shows.
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Shreveport, LA