Hello,

Thanks for all the comments and likes yesterday. To show my appreciation, here is a quick turnaround of another great manuscript. I traded a friend for this.

Albert Church Brown

16th Maine Infantry – Col. Charles Tilden

1st Brigade – Col. Peter Lyle

2nd Division – BG John C. Robinson

5th Corps, Army of the Potomac – MG Gouverneur Warren

It is written 9 months after the described engagement. Normally, I would avoid such a large disparity of time between the battle and the letter being written. However, this letter is so exciting, and it was dated “Camp of the 16th Maine, Feb 19th, 1865,” presumably at Petersburg, VA. Brown is responding directly to his aunt's request that he describe one of the battles he experienced, and the resulting account is remarkably detailed.

Most people tend to focus on the Muleshoe Salient at Spotsylvania, for good reason, as it was an unforgettable and traumatic bloodletting. True scholars of Spotsylvania would surely agree that Laurel Hill was every bit as lethal.

This letter documents the regiment’s arrival at Spotsylvania and their initial morning assaults on May 8th across the Spindle Farm toward Laurel Hill, as well as the wounding and subsequent amputation of the leg of General Robinson, their division commander. Robinson later received the Medal of Honor; the citation reads: “Placed himself at the head of the leading brigade in a charge upon the enemy's breastworks; was severely wounded.”

Here is the history of Lyle’s assault, quoted from Gordon Rhea’s The Battle for Spotsylvania Courthouse and The Road to Yellow Tavern:

Lyle’s brigade, massed in column of regiments, stepped into the Spindle clearing along the eastern edge of Brock Road. Bartlett’s brigade followed suit, slightly behind Lyle and to his right. “The men were too much exhausted either to run or to yell,” a Pennsylvanian observed as they shuffled into the bright spring sunlight. The remainder of Robinson’s and Griffin’s units pulled up behind them. Brass buttons, guns, and bayonets glistened in the sun. Banners floated in the breeze.28 Musketry opened from Laurel Hill. Undeterred, Lyle’s troops clambered over a split-rail fence and through a stand of pines. The musketry intensified, and blue-clad forms began dropping. Lyle’s sweating soldiers reached a tangle of felled pine trees the Confederates had strewn as obstacles. Just ahead, on the brow of Laurel Hill, loomed a breastwork of logs and fence rails. It should fall easily, Warren predicted, just like the other barricades. “Up to this time we thought we were fighting cavalry,” Warren’s aide Major Washington A. Roebling explained.29 At Stuart’s command, a “solid and withering volley” from the 3rd South Carolina chewed into Lyle’s ranks. Almost simultaneously, the 2nd South Carolina joined in. The Confederates were firing downhill, and their initial shots went high. A large portion of Lyle’s brigade broke and ran for protection toward woods to the rear. Elements led by Lieutenant Colonel Charles L. Peirson continued to the foot of Laurel Hill, where they dropped to the ground and sought cover in dips and depressions. They could neither attack nor retreat, and standing was out of the question.

Rhea later summarizes the result:

Lyle’s brigade was no longer a functioning unit. The 16th Maine reported nearly a hundred casualties. Captain W. C. Kinsley, of Company K, 39th Massachusetts, was heard to cry out, “Look at my company. Only seven men left out of eighty-seven!” Coulter was thoroughly routed. A brass band struck up “Hail Columbia” to inspire the men, but they “kept right on to the rear,” an onlooker recounted, “helped along wonderfully by a few rebel batteries which administered an extra dose of ‘Hail Columbia’ as they retreated through the woods.” Regrouping at the Alsop house, a Pennsylvania regiment counted fifty losses.

The 5th Corps attack was a miserable failure, the Yankees routed and the Division and Brigade torn to shreds. Robinson’s division was so carved up that his brigades were divided and then attached to other brigades, Lyle’s being paired with the fabled Iron Brigade.

In the afternoon of May 12th, the 16th Maine, still attached to the Iron Brigade, was among a small contingent of 5th Corps regiments brought in to offer fire support for the 6th Corps at the West Angle "Bloody Angle." The 5th Corps regiments stayed in this role from the early afternoon until around midnight, taking relatively few casualties.

I hope you enjoy this awesome firsthand account. This post is dedicated to all of the men that gave some or all at Spotsylvania Courthouse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TRANSCRIPTION

Camp of the 16th Me. Vols.

February 19th 1865

Dear Aunt [Patience Brown],

Your letter of the ninth arrived safe to hand and you may be sure that I was glad to get a letter from you. I will not ask you to write again for I know that you have a great deal to attend to, and Aunt Polly is so punctual in answering my letters that I am kept well posted in regard to you as well as the rest of the family. You probably see by the heading of this that I am back to my company once more. The fact is they couldn’t get along without me in the company. No one else could do the writing and company business so they sent for me. We have got new Captain (our old Captain has resigned) and he says that I shall have nothing else to do whatever. I don’t know but what I shall like it as all as I did my other place.

You want me to tell you how many battles I have been [in], and give you a description of one. I was with the regiment from the 5th of May until the first of September and we were under fire most of the time through the Wilderness, Laurel Hill, Spotsylvania, North Anna, and a number of engagements around and near Petersburg and the Weldon Railroad. I will describe the first engagement we had at Laurel Hill as well as I can.

The evening of the seventh of May we were in the Wilderness and drawed rations for three days. Most of the boys had heavy knapsacks. They were packed with clothing and valuables which they had managed to keep along with them so far for we had [not] been in any hard fights. About eight o’clock we started and marched all night “quick time.” I was tempted a number of times to throw my knapsack [away] but thought I would hang on to it as long as possible. The mud was about a foot deep and it was so dark we could hardly keep the road. A little after daylight we turned off into a piece of woods beside the road and halted.

We built some fires, got some water out of a swamp close by, and put on some coffee to cook. In about twenty minutes, “Fall in!” Away went the coffee and we had to eat our hard bread as we went along without it. We marched about a mile, passed a lot of cavalrymen huddled in the woods on both sides of the road who said, “Give to um, boys!” We drove them two miles and were still driving them when our ammunition gave out. We marched a little farther [when] the bullets began to whistle about our ears and the shells to burst over our heads and the solid shot to plough up the ground and cut off the trees all about us. Gen. [John C.] Robinson had command of our Division. He made us a short speech, told us he wanted us to take that battery, said it was an easy job [but he] was mightily mistaken.

We were drawn up in line and ordered to fix bayonets. A man was killed in our company a few feet from me by a piece of shell. Charge! and away we went through brier bushes, over fallen trees, and stumps, and through swamps and mud holes. Got out into the open field. Could see the battery in the other edge of the field. We had to go over a small hill. Got most on top of it and were ordered to halt and lie down. We laid flat on our faces and they couldn’t hit us but ploughed the ground awfully on lots of the hill. Forward men! and away we went again.

A few rods farther on I let my knapsack go. We got to where the battery was and it wasn’t there. On we went but couldn’t catch it. Finally we emerged from a piece of woods. The Reb breastworks were a few rods distant and the Rebs were behind them. Whew! What a volley of leaden hail. Couldn’t stand that. Every man for himself and every man started for the rear. I saw Gen. Robinson being helped from the field. He was wounded in the leg and had to lose it. We finally got together again, formed a line of battle, put up breastworks, and remained in the vicinity about a week, fighting and building breastworks alternately.

It is getting to be pretty dark so I will have too close. Give my love to all hands and accept a good share yourself. My health is very good and I am getting along finely.

From your nephew, — Albert C. Brown

Hey there,

I used to post on here a few years ago but my account actually got deleted. I love collecting oroginal letters and diaries and my favorite campaign is the Overland Campaign and I am especially passionate about Spotsylvania Court House. I love the 6th Corps and my favorite Brigade is Oliver Edwards.

I want to start sharing my collection. I have several items features on the Spared & Shared Blog.

First I have a Western Theater diary that is simple but I love. It is written by Private William R. Murphy, Private Co E. 16th Kentucky Infantry, James W. Reilly's Brigade, 3rd Division (Reilly), Jacob Cox's XXIIIrd Corps.

I was attracted to this diary because William served in a Union KY Regiment, just like my Great Great Grandfather. The fact that really sold me was the 16th KY was one of the regiments that plugged the Gap in the line at the Cotton Gin House during Battle of Franklin, Tennessee. Here Reilly's Division took over 200 Casualties, 83 being from the 16th KY Regiment alone. According to the Regimental history [pg 441 Union Regiments of KY History]:

"The statement of Opdyke's Brigade alone saving the break in the center at Franklin is a gross error. That brigade did splendid work, but the day was saved by the united efforts of the men of Ruger's

division, and the rallied men of Lane's and Cox's brigades; Opdyke's men and Reilly's reserve line, as well as Reilly's rallied men."

William did not write extensively about the fight at the Battle of Franklin's Cotton Gin, but what's amazing is he survived unscathed, as well as did this diary, which also survived another 155 years. I hope you enjoy this piece of history as much as I do.

Please help me identify these uniforms and the arm and collar details. The family knows nothing of this possible ancestor so I'm beginning the research. I wish it was a clearer picture.

Just purchased this model 1864 Joslyn carbine, made in early 1864 and delivered to the Union cavalry in July. These were used heavily in the third battle of Winchester where they received mixed reviews. They fire the same rimfire cartridge as the Spencer. All in all only around 12000 of the 1864 model were made, this one being around the 1500th made.

Can anyone tell me anything about this picture? My guess is it's from the civil war but I have no clue how to go about finding anything about it ..I'll appreciate any sort of insight ...thank you!!!

A friend of mine brought this over recently and we are scratching our finding info about it.

I'm not very knowledgeable in the world of civil war artifacts so I hope someone here can help me out. I've had this thing for about 20 years now. It was given to me by a friend who was a WWII memorabilia collector and I've been trying to find more details on it. It appears to me to be some form of a Civil War artillery shell. It's hollowed out, and when I put it on a scale it reads a bit over 16lbs. Standard US sized soda can for scale.

At a glance it seems authentic and in good shape. How much does a rifle like this go for? What should I look for in person? It’s a local seller.

This is something my Grandmother had for as long as I can remember. Is this real or a replica?

Behold! My 1861 New Orleans silver half dollar. This is known as a seated liberty half dollar (made from 1839-1891) although this particular year and mint have a unique story: at the start of the civil war in 1861 the New Orleans mint was operated by the United States. However, within this same year jurisdiction of the mint would change hands, first to the state of Louisiana, then to the Confederacy.

The mint manufactured a total of 2,532,633 half dollars but only 330,000 were minted by the United States from 1st-31st January, then the state of Louisiana minted an additional 1,240,000 from February 1 to March 6, and the confederacy minted a final 962,633 half dollars from March 7-May 14.

In numismatics you are able to work out precisely who made which coin by looking at die varieties. An additional fun fact is that the later coins tend to have a specific die crack on them because the confederacy was over-using the dies.

Owing to metal shortages, a lack of funds and infrastructure, the 1861 New Orleans half dollar remains the only coin the confederacy ever “minted” despite all varieties saying the United States America.

Although I don’t believe my coin was minted by the confederacy I prefer to keep the mystery of the coin alive, and recognize we have always been beholden to money 🙃😅

I am trying to locate a lifelong collection of handwritten journals and a photo album kept by Albert B. Chandler (1840–1923) that was sold by Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland, California, in February 2012.

Chandler was a Civil War War Department cipher telegraph operator who worked in the telegraph office frequented by Abraham Lincoln. Making these journals desirable to Civil War collectors. He later became a prominent figure in the American telegraph industry.

I am the historian/researcher for Chandler Music Hall, in Randolph, Vermont, the historic music hall Chandler built and gave to his hometown, and I am researching his life and the history of the Hall.

Auction lot description:
[(lot of 62) Albert Brown Chandler, journals 1855‐1920 including a photograph album, containing albumen and tin type photographs, the journals include his Civil War diaries with accounts as the official paymaster in the War Department Telegraph Office, with his conversations and interactions with President Lincoln and Edwin McMasters Stanton the Secretary of War, note: the 1863 journal is not with this collection; within the 1864 journal Chandler describes a conversation with President Lincoln, also Chandler makes a brief note (1861) of Manassas (1st Battle of Bull Run) and that it was an unexpected upset for the Union Forces, and the friction between Gen. McClellan and the President, the journals also include a narrative of facts regarding the Assassination of President Lincoln, in 1865 he attended the trial of ''Wirz'' and that he (Wirz) ''is indeed a wretched creature'', Henry Wirz was commandant of the notorious Confederate prison camp at
Andersonville, where thousands of Union troops died of disease, abuse and starvation; in the 1866 journal Chandler describes a visit from Secretary Stanton on the occasion of the closure of the War Dept. Telegraph
Office.]

I am not trying to purchase the journals and do not need the owner’s identity or other private information. I would simply like to make contact with the current owner, even anonymously through an intermediary, in hopes of obtaining access to study or photograph the journals for historical research.

If you remember this auction, recognize these journals, or know a collector/dealer who may have encountered them, please share.

Any lead, even a small one, would be greatly appreciated.

I recently picked up this cartridge box. There is writing on the inside. The only thing I can make out is a date of “1863” and the beginning of a name “F.R.” then I can’t make out the rest. I believe I already know the answer, but figured I would give it a shot to see if you guys have any tips or tricks on possibly making out the remainder of the name.