March 2018 Auction Ends Thursday, March 29th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/29/2018
Poignant lot of 43 letters by George W. Shinn of the 17th Illinois Infantry, Co. H, who was mortally wounded at Fort Donelson and died approximately 1 1/2 months after the battle. He writes to his family in 1861-62 with content on the Battle of Fredericktown, and also writes a very poignant essay entitled ''Change'', likely when suffering in the hospital and knowing that he would die soon. In three letters dated 27 October and 7 November 1861, Shinn writes of the Battle of Fredericktown, where the 17th lost 11 in killed and wounded: ''...the 11th [Illinois Infantry] done some grand fighting, what they was of them, their was not quite 500 of them. Col Ross on the battle field as well as everywhere else done his duty like a soldier, a gentleman, & a brave man...The 17th done the greater part of the work, she received a great deal of praise from different sources. Gen. Grant sent up a letter of commendation to us from Cairo praising their gallant conduct...The 17th in their last great fight captured a 12 pound cannon, a lot of guns, & took 46 prisoners. Co. H lost one killed & 4 wounded, none very seriously. Poor Tom Layton was killed, the most jovial fellow in the company. If we had tried to pick out those that would have been shot, he would have been the last one we would have thought of but he died for the honor of his countrys flag & his country will remember him...4 boys from Co. H were wounded in the Fredricktown battle, but you do not know them, none of the Canton boys were hurt...'' In a manuscript entitled ''Change'', Shinn writes a heartbreaking personal essay on war and loss, reflecting on how his life as a wounded soldier has changed from the former carefree life he mentions in his letters; he also worries for his mother's future. The essay reads in part, ''...Change it is but a little word but what a fearful meaning is contained in it. It speaks of broken hearts of ruined hopes of blighted affection...We are all anxiously...Waiting to play our part in the great drama of the world to battle with the stern realities of life. But we will all wish to take our places back again within these walls could we do so with our characters pure and unspotted unsullied by contact with the world. Change go ask that poor woman if she knows the meaning of the word change...She remembers when she stood at the altar with her young hearts first love. Since then sorrow has thrown its bitter mantel over those days which she hoped would be filled with happiness she has seen one by one those that she loved with a mother's warmest affection laid in the cold damp grave...And she is left alone dependent upon the charities of a cold hearted world for a sustenance. Is it a wonder then she wishes to make her bed with the loved ones that have gone before to lie down in the silent grave free from sorrow and affliction...Yes she too knows the meaning of the world Change...Then why does she appear so bright and joyous among her companions. She knows there is but little sympathy in the world and she had rather keep her secret locked within her own bosom...soon she will be laid among the dead...truly every heart knoweth its own bitterness...'' Signed ''Composition / G.W. Shinn''. Shinn's other letters include war commentary and regimental movements, such as this 11 April 1861 letter, ''...We were sleeping in our tents the other night about 12 o'clock when Captain Boyd come around & stuck his head in and told us to get up quick and load our guns and gall into line. We got up and got our guns and straped on our catridge boxes and fell into line very silently. They marched us out on to the river bank and formed us into line of battle. We waited there some two hours anxiously expecting a muss but the enemy did not appear and so they marched us back...The cause of the disturbance was two flat boats run the blockade. They were pursued by the H.H. Brown with Col Cook on board, they were taken and brought back. They were loaded with lime & hooppoles, the water got into the lime set them both on fire. They threw three shot & a shell after them from Cairo but did not hit them, it being so dark & the boats not having any light...'' On 19 August he writes, ''...we will keep on until we have cleared out all the secessionists in the state. It is thought that the rebels will make a stand at Greenville about 40 miles south of Fredricktown...Two of our companies have rec'd Minnie Muskets and the rest will get them in a few days...'' On 25 August he writes, ''...We are encamped way down in this wooden country where they are about 100 years behind the rest of the world...I do not know wether the cowards will stand in a fight or not when we were coming here it was said that there was quite a force in camp close to this place but when they saw us a coming their pickets run into camp and said that the northern troops were upon them, they let out very spry although there were a great many more of them than there were of us, such is their courage...'' On 6 September he writes, ''...We are getting down toward the enemy. We are waiting for more troops then we will move on again, that will be in a very few days nearer to them. I expect we will march on to New Madrid & attack Pillow. He is said to have 12 or 15000 men. We have got about 7 or 8000 now. I do not know wether they will stand us a fight or not. I hope they will...'' with inaccurate gossip added, ''...It is pretty generally believed that Jeff Davis is dead. I hope that is so...'' On 12 September he writes, ''...Col. Ross is to have command of this point. He has just got here. He left us at Jackson & went to St. Louis, got as far as Jacksonville, Ills where he turned around & came down here. We were all very glad to see him as everything appears to go off better when he is with us then when he is not. They have erected a very heavy battery here of 4 guns 32 & 24 pounders. They are building entrenchments. There is some 150 or 200 Irish at work on them & clearing out the grounds...'' and on 17 October, ''...Part of our regiment went up the river last night on an expedition of some kind, about 30 or 40 went from Company H. I guess that their was quite a force of our men altogether some from Cairo & Birds Point and the Gun Boats went up too, so I understand I believe the reason they went up was that some of the rebels have been trying to blockade the river at some point above here and they went up to see about it...'' In his letter dated 25 November, Shinn complains that other Illinois regiments got undeserved credit for fighting at Fredericktown: ''...You say that the papers laud the 20th Regt. Col Marsh. The boys say that the 20th was not in the fight, they did not pretend to do anything until the fight was over and the retreat commenced and what they done then did not amount to anything. They took a cannon after our boys had captured it, but we took it back very soon. They do not give the 17th the credit she deserves. All we want is a fair investigation of the facts and they can tell them who deserves the credit. That fight at Belmont was a regular fizzile, just like some of the rest of Grant's movements. I do not think he is much of a general and I am not the only one of that opinion. Their was 2 Brigadier Generals made for gallant conduct at Fredricktown and one promised. One was given to Col. Hovey of the 33rd Illinois and he was not in the fight at all. The other was given to Maj Scoffield of the artillery and he did not do anything until the fight was over & the other that was promised to Col Calin, they say that he was drunk all the time during the fight. That is what they call gallant conduct. Col Ross who did all the fighting does not get promoted. This is the way it generally turns out, this is the way they reward bravery, let them that do the work go without any reward and them that do nothing, reap all the benefits...'' Other letters include guarding a boat fired into by Confederate General ''Jeff Thompson's men'' and the death of ''Snollygoster'' (Confederate General Zollicoffer). In a handful of letters from the hospital after he was wounded at Fort Donelson he writes, ''...Sam Nutt & Bill Stockdale are Sargeant Majors, one of the 7th Cavalry & the other of the 17th Regt. Little did we think when we were school boys together years ago that we would ever be called upon to defend our Countrys Flag or that any of us should wear the shoulder straps in her service...'' and mentions on 26 February that ''my wound is pretty bad''. Shinn would be dead about a month later. Letters are in very good condition with legible handwriting, most with original covers. Lot also includes Shinn's furlough document to recuperate at home and a few letters by his brother, William B. Shinn while he served with the 132nd Illinois Infantry.
Large Letter Lot by 17th IL Infantryman Mortally Wounded at Fort Donelson: ''...she has seen one by one those that she loved with a mother's warmest affection laid in the cold damp grave...''
Click above for larger image.