March 2018 Auction Ends Thursday, March 29th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/29/2018
Two CDV photographs and 5 Civil War dated letters by James H. Barton of the 8th Michigan Infantry, Co. H, who was KIA shortly after the Battle of Fort Pulaski during a reconnaissance mission on Whitemarsh Island. In his letters, Barton writes about the Battle of Port Royal Ferry where the 8th Michigan lost 8 in killed and wounded on New Year's Day, 1862. Barton in particular, describes the cowardice of his superior officer during the mission; in a letter to his father on 26 January, he writes, ''...Mr. [Richard N.] Doyle is the Captain. [Captain Alford B.] Turner resigned and went home. Doyle looks to the wants of the men. Turner is a coward when they was bombarding Fort Walker he was so frightened him so he shit his britches that is so and no fooling about it. It was to good to keep he thought we was going right in to a fight but only found lots of warm dead bodies in the fort...'' Barton continues in the letter to his sister, ''...We had a ball new years and the enemy threw them pretty saucy...I can tell you they fired right at us but I guess they did not take good aim or they could kill us all for they was in a patch of woods so that we could not see them only as they fired then we would fix them. Some of our company killed one of their officers on horseback thare was five ball holes through him they killed one of our men and wounded eight. The gun boats threw shells in to them. One shell killed ten or twelve men they could [throw] them with thare spy glasses. legs and arms and heads flew in every direction when the shells busted. They can throw them just where they have a mind to they can thro them four miles if they wanted to...James H. Barton''.
On 20 November 1861, Barton writes to his father, ''...We are in Sherman's Second Brigade the first Brigade is going to move off. We here that the enemy are going to whip us they will have a nice time if they do for we are fortifying and building a fort that they won't take right away we was on the water twenty days we had a hard storm the ocean was covered with mountains of water it was piled up like large mountains we had seventeen hundred on board. This describes the ocean in a storm [draws a picture]...James H. Barton / I am in South Carolina Fort Walker Hilton Head''. And on 26 February 1862, he writes ''...The n****** are getting ready to plant corn we are on pickit guard on Royal Island two companys Co. H and Co. C...I have not seen a white woman since I left Washington but plenty of wenches...we have to stand four hours guard every night and have the day to ourselves...James H. Barton''. Barton would be dead less than 2 months after this last letter, killed on 16 April 1862 during a reconnaissance mission on one of the islands at the mouth of the Savannah River four days after the Battle of Fort Pulaski.
Lot is accompanied by at least one letter by Barton not war-dated, and also an 1859 Settler's License awarded to Barton for land in Montcalm County, Michigan. Lot also includes numerous letters written to Barton during the war from home, with several covers. Barton's letters are mostly in very good condition with near complete transcriptions, with one letter written on the back of a 8.5'' x 10.5'' color ''Military Map of Maryland & Virginia''. One CDV is a mounted tintype, and the other is of Barton in uniform with an 8th MI kepi; both are signed by Barton in pencil. Overall an excellent lot of items.
Two CDVs & Letter Lot From KIA 8th Michigan Infantryman -- With Battle of Port Royal Ferry Content -- ''...legs and arms and heads flew in every direction when the shells busted...''
Click above for larger image.