341

A FANTASTIC COLLECTION OF OVER 125 CIVIL WAR PERIOD LETTERS AND MORE: Lot includes well over 225 letters and documents from circa 1830’s-1870 mostly relating to a certain Albert J. Rockwell and his family, city of Denny, Warren County, Illinois, (apparently the postmaster and perhaps an attorney) Also correspondence related to a Mr. Reason Pratt, New Boston, Mercer County, Illinois. Lot offers well over 50 Civil War Content letters many in Patriotic covers and many with exceptional content including this example from a member of the Illinois 27^th Reg. Co. G. detailing Bull Run: We marched backed to the timber with our drums and fife playing Yankee Doodle. When they tried to surround us we then commenced firing on them scattering them right and left…we marched on and they tried to surround us again.  We cut our way through giving them fits about ½ mile further we drew up in a line of battle and exchanged shots with the rebels routing them when we got within a mile of our boats…the shells began to fall around us from our gunboats…when they were going on the boats, the gun boats opened cross fire killing 20 to 50 at a time as they fled. Our loss 11 killed, 42 wounded, 28 missing….Benjamin Craig my bed mate killed, Patric Flinn and Andrew Smith wounded taking down the Rebel flag, Mike Sanders had a bullet pass right through his hat…Horses and men laying killed on the battlefield. A flag of truce went down yesterday…Our Generals gave us speeches last night. General Grant said that he was in all the battles of the Mexican War except the battle of Buena Vista and this was the hottest contested he ever seen. Lot also contains a “naughty” Civil War. hand drawn Valentine. Additionally lot contains dozens and dozens of legal documents, deeds, receipts, notes, inventories, letters, correspondences, bankruptcy notices, flyers, etc. covering the period of about 1830-1860. and mostly from west central Illinois. Lot also includes vintage booklets and sales pamphlets and merchandise materials including a copy of the national Conscription Act of 1863 and Dr. Butts pocket Medical Adviser or Evils and Remedies of Excessive and Perverted Sexuality and Self-Abuse. A true treasure trove of material of well over 200 items.

342

A RARE RUNAWAY SLAVE COLLAR, AMERICAN CIRCA 1850-1860. Double link 15 ½ inch chain, with iron and brass identification plaque at center engraved with the owners name “F.R.Brunot.” and a faint inscription below, probably that of the slave. Verso of tag engraved Born May 1840 or perhaps 1846.  Locking devices at each end of the chain with the underside of the lock plate engraved “Brunot” Collars of this type were placed on slaves who had attempted to escape. Though horrific in its implication, this collar is far more humane by comparison to other collars, which bore protruding devices intended to snag on brush and trees in order to impede the fugitives flight. A solemn reminder of America’s not too distant past.

342A

A GOOD PAIR OF U.S. CIVIL WAR OFFICER RANK DEVICES. The shoulder straps with bullion borders and silver bars on a blue wool field.

342B

A VERY NICE U.S. CIVIL WAR OFFICER’S METAL-BACKED AND EMBROIDERED INFANTRY HUNTING HORN HAT DEVICE, with the number “28”. Good condition.

343

THE L. L. WILSON CIVIL WAR DIARY AND PHOTO GROUPING. A fantastic Civil War diary from Leonidas L. Wilson. Born in Ohio in 1843, Wilson moved with his family to Center Point, Iowa where at the age of 19,and in the year 1862, he enlisted into service and joined Co. B of the Iowa 20^th Vol. Regt. He served until the end of the war when he was discharged in Alabama on July 8, 1865. Lot includes a commercial Daily Pocket Diary for the year 1865 with entries beginning on January 1^st. and continues through with good daily entries up until July 22, 1865. Some excerpts include: “Our advance has been skirmishing with the Johny’s almost all day. They are falling trees across our road and peppering away at us every chance they get…” “We took out a Major and Brigadier General Scranton…” “I am plum out of anything to eat so after we stopped I took my old Springfield off my shoulder and struck out for something to eat…no luck.” “I had a long talk with the prisoners today, they are very despondent and think that the confederacy is about done for…” Wilson took part in the Siege of Fort Blakely, Alabama, April 9, 1865. His diary gives a good account of Company B’s position before during and after the last battle of the Civil War. Lot also includes a photo image of Wilson, apparently taken near the time he enlisted. Overall the diary is very sound condition being written primarily in ink and is very legible. Wilson participated at New Tonia, Missouri, battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, and the siege of Vicksburg. It is said that bullets pierced his clothes several times and that once his hat was shot off, but was fortunate enough to escape the war uninjured. After the war, Wilson pursued a medical career in the footsteps of his father, eventually becoming a producer and marketer of various elixirs. A short biographical sketch accompanies lot.

343A

THE L.L. WILSON G.A.R. INSIGNIA GROUP. An excellent collection of 25 G.A.R. badges and pins including 11 exquisite bronze and enamel National Encampment Delegate badges for the years; 1896, 1903, 04, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 27. Also a good selection of various post and state command badges, plus other interesting novelties and convention souvenirs including a cannon and kepi style badge. Dr. Wilson was one of the organizers of Dennison Post No.244, of which he was Commander from 1883-1889 and again in 1899. He was also a member of the Commander-in-Chief’s staff and the Department Commander’s staff; was President of the 20^th Iowa Vet Association and Vice Pres of the County Assoc. Dr. L.L. Wilson was born in Chesterville, Ohio on July 23, 1843 and died in Center Point, Iowa. A fine assortment of ornate and well-fashioned badges.

344

AN INTERESTING PAIR OF CIVIL WAR LETTERS AND MORE. Lot consists of four letters, two C.W. period and content. The best being a well-written and lengthy (10 pages) account of an engagement on the Blackwater River, near Suffolk, Virginia as told by a Union soldier in Co. G. 6^th Mass Regt. to his sister, dated Feb. 9, 1863. “Probably you have seen an account of our last expedition to Blackwater in which we had a hard fought with the rebels but drove them across the Blackwater with great loss in killed and wounded to them. But the Newspapers fail to give the facts…The N.Y. Tribune published a scandalous account saying the 6^th Mass Regt. was not within a mile of the battlefield….The fact is we moved steadily forward under a rebel fire as General Corcarans celebrated Irish Legion had tried the same and found the fire so hot that they broke and ran in all directions.. Perhaps a brief account might interest you…we started out with 4,800 men and 12 pieces of artillery…the Irish Legion broke and ran, the 6^th Mass was ordered forward and obeyed, not a man flinched…the shells whistles so close we could feel the wind from them…the position assigned to us was the most exposed….we took our position at 4:00 o’clock in the morning and laid down to escape the 2 ½ hours of rebel shot and shell…Soon we laid down a shell burst almost in my face and killed 3 men within six feet of me splattering me with blood and brains...one of the wounded lay by my side, raised himself up exclaiming “I’m killed” and then fell back into my arms…the groans and cries of the wounded almost made me sick….the old 6^th did its duty nobly not withstanding what the N.Y. Tribune says….it was probably written by one of the bewhiskered dandies of General Pecks staff who was not within 10 miles of the battle and never saw a battle in his life and never will as long as his cowardly legs carry him.” Lot further contains three letters written by the same man, one with good content “You spoke of having to fight against our friends, I should feel privileged to be allowed to send a bullet to the heart of a man from the North who is base and mean enough to join the traitors and I should feel I was doing Gods service..” Lot also includes 2 Land Grants 1859 and 1863, one to a Veteran of the War of 1812 the other to a veteran of the Mexican War. (not pictured)

344A

AN INTERESTING 18^TH C. AMERICAN DISPOSITION dealing with the sale of a “Negro Wench”, Amherst County, Virginia. The 12”x7.25” hand written document begins with the swearing-in of a Dudley Gatewood who relates that he was to purchase a Negro Wench from a Joseph Poindexter but that Poindexter sold the Wench to another party: “I informed Poindexter that I knew of two or three men whom had the cash and wanted to purchase Negros…” “Poindexter promised to fetch the Negro Wench to me in order to show the Wench to those persons as I told him had the cash. He never brought no Negros to me…”.