FREE APPRAISAL. To auction, buy, consign or sell Indiana Civil War letters, please email Nate at [email protected] or phone the Nate D. Sanders Auction House (http://www.NateDSanders.com) at (310) 440-2982.  Thank you.

Indiana Civil War Letters

Indiana Civil War letters are popular because Indiana was pivotal for the Union cause.  We at NateDSanders.com Auctions sold these Indiana Civil War letters a little while ago and I want to share them with you.

Indiana Civil War Letters Archive of 66 Indiana Civil War Letters

Lot of 66 Indiana Civil War letters from George W. Young of the 17th Indiana Infantry, Company D, who was killed in action at Farmington, Tennessee. Accompanied by several covers. Dated between 1861 and 1863, letters record the young soldier’s desire to see battle, then horror upon seeing the reality of war. First letter, dated 16 September 1861, reads in part: “…we saw the 3rd Ohio and the 6th Ohio and the 15th Ind falling in to line of battle and we was ordered to fall in with them. We then marched out to the breastworks and took our stand. I could see our pickets running in bringing news that the enemy were only 2 miles off and advancing. Our artillery went out and fired a few shots at them and found out they were not advancing but were encamping with a force about 7 or 8

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thousand and we were only about 3500 strong and consequently could not go out to give them a fight” Another letter, dated 12 October 1861, reads in part: “I say let them pitch in for their might be such a thing as ours corps and rosecrantz brigades coming there yet and then they will be cleaned out certain…” A third letter, dated 1 November 1861, reads in part: “…I have been trying to write but the duch are roving around in the tent so I will have to quit. My tent mates are all duch Catholics…there was one American in the tent by the name of John Danly from moorshill but he deserted sometime since and they cant find where he has gone too…I wish they would transfer our brigade to Ky. I think we could clean out the secesh in little or no time. They are not doing the business right running green men that don’t know their right hand from their left into open field fights. I believe our brigade…can whip all the soldiers they have got in Ky…” A few months

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later, Young sent a letter recording his first real battle experience at Shiloh: “…The fighting began Sunday the 6th and last until the next day 4 oclock. Sunday our men were routed and severely cut up Monday Buell reinforced Grant and drove them back 8 miles killing numbers of them and they are there yet. And we are expecting another attact from them. I have been on picket two nights in four. Havent slept but very little since we have been here. Have had nothing to cook in and very little to cook. Have to lay on the ground without tent as we were on a forced march for 11 days and our wagons could not keep up with us. I feel hardly about to write today and fear I will have a spell of sickness but hope not. Our officers say they will make another dash on us tomorrow and if I don’t feel better I’ll make a poor out bushwacking. The field is about six miles by four and I don’t know how many were killed where Nelson fought. They were strewn awful thick. Think our men nearly all buried but not half of the cecesh. They were poorly clad but apparently well fed they nearly all had biscuit in there haversacks and

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nearly every canteen had whisky in them. I sounded over a hundred of them but found everything but money although one of our boys got 80 dollars by taking a belt off one…” Another letter, dated 27 September 1863, records the fighting at Chicamauga: “…Old Rosey is picking away at them. Our brigade received the first attack on Friday over a week ago and stayed with the Saturday and Sunday last. The two hard fighting days and then we were sent here to guard this ford…One week ago yesterday we held our position on the right center with but little loss and one week ago today we took our position on the right line of reb skirmishers and would have been going yet I expect had not one of our divisions on our left give away. So the lighting brigade had to try the retrograde. I don’t know the loss of the brigade. Our regt lost about 15 killed and wounded. I don’t think the rebs has got any more bullets for me…” Young mustered into Company D on 12 June

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1861 and was killed a month after writing the last letter on 7 October 1863. A bullet struck him in the chest during a charge on a Confederate position in which the 17th Indiana captured 300 prisoners. After Young’s death, his regiment went south to join Sherman in the Atlanta Campaign, repulsing Hood’s Army of the Tennessee in a series of bloody conflicts that stretched through northwest Georgia. Lot includes several letters from other soldiers, among them nine from a soldier in the 12th Indiana Infantry and three from the 68th Indiana Infantry. Some wear; overall excellent condition.  Sold for $23,500.

Lot of 66 letters from George W. Young of the 17th Indiana Infantry, Company D, who was killed in action at Farmington, Tennessee.

Indiana Civil War Letters Archive of 108 Indiana Civil War Letters

Lot of 108 Indiana Civil War letters from Silas C. Miller of the 100th Indiana Infantry, Company A, and a large framed tintype of Miller, armed. Indiana Civil War letters are dated 12 September 1862 to 6 July 1865 and written from locations throughout Tennessee, and from Camp Douglas, Illinois, the Union’s most notoriously deadly prison camp. As a guard, Miller witnessed frequent violent uprisings among rebel prisoners and participated in the torturing and killing of some. Datelined excerpts follow. 19 September 1862, from Louisville: “I don’t get to see any girls here and what few there is ant the right color. they are as black as the ace of spades” 9 October 1862: “our cavelry did get two secesh prisoners yesterday I brought them in camp and tride to make them tell whare they came

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from but they would not then wee did hang them they tried to let on to be crazy but they was not they was regler spies” 20 April 1863: “thare was to rebels come in our camp yester day and give them Selvs up they said that they would not fight any more for they all no that they will get whipt” 29 May 1863, Colliersville, Tennessee: “our company is out on picket guard the rebels tore up the rale road yesterday between here and Memphis they wont come out and fight us like men” 31 May 1863, Colliersville: “We are throwing up brest works and diging rifle pitts a round this place and preparing for a fight” 9 July 1863, Fort Pickering, Tennessee: “good news Vicksburg is ours at last. I tell you they made the old canon rore father said that the babys was growin fine O how I would like to see they will look odd to me when I get home for they was so small when I left I expect that Silvester will forgit me” 20 September 1863: “I don’t like the climate here and I don’t like to be with the negros if I had my way I would kill all the negros I always hated the negro and now I hate them worse then ever” 15 January 1864:

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“Thare was a reb shot nite before last and one last night trying to get out” 17 February 1864, from the prison at Camp Douglas, Illinois: “I tell you it was a sorryful site to see the sick and wounded that was brought in the hospital at Memphis after the battle of Vicksburg it is something that I will never forget” 29 February 1864, Camp Douglas: “we had a big fire here in camp this morning in the barracks whare the 11the Regiment of Ill was it is supposed to be a set fire by some of the prisoners thare has bin seven shot” 15 April 1864, Camp Douglas: “one of our boys went out to town last night and on his way back to camp thare was five men came up with a knife and stabbed him it is not safe for a soldier to go out of camp at night” 16 April 1864, Camp Douglas: “thare has bin an other fight at fort pillow the rebs took the place and it was a harde fight. the rebs after taken the fort took the negros and shot them down on the spot” 8 May 1864, Camp Douglas: “Grant is a going a head towards Richmond I hope that he will make a good strike and take the rebel capital. thare is a going to be the hardest battle that ever was

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fought” 12 August 1864, Camp Douglas: “two of the prisoners dug out and started to run but the guards sene them and shot them” 8 September 1864, Camp Douglas: “the rebs made a brake night before last and cut a hole in the fense and seven got out they were shot we got all of them I tell you they cant get out when the old VRC is on post” 18 September 1864, Camp Douglas: “we have got ten thousand prisoners here it is quite a Squad to put in one pen some of them are a takeing the oath and enlisting in our army to go to fight the Indians they will desert they wont go to fight the Indians I hope that I can git to vote I want to vote for McClelan Some sais McClelan will do just as old Jef Davis wants I think that he will do as good as old Abe. Abe has set the negro free and now he is a selling the white men. They are giving one thousand dollars bounty for one year men” 20 November 1864: “thare is more guards around the camp now on account of

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these men that are trying to take the prisoners out they did intend to kill us all if they could take the camp” 27 November 1864, Camp Douglas: “we have over eleven thousand prisoners here and they die from three to five evry day” On 27 December 1864, Miller writes about his experience in the Battle of Nashville: “we pitched in to old Hood at Nashville and cleaned him out our men charge the rebs and the rebs charge our men we were marched in line of battle in to an orchard in front of the rebs works they more than shelled us there was 2 men killed out of company there was 8 men out of the Reg that you know, the shells plowed the dirt before us and behind us” Miller mustered into Company A on 12 August 1862. He later served in the Veteran Reserve Corps and was discharged at an unknown date. Letters total approximately 350pp.; most measure approximately 5″ x 8″ and the majority are in ink. With some soiling, smudging, creasing and occasional paper loss, letters range from very good to near fine. Lot also includes a large format 7.5″ x 9″ retouched tintype of Miller in uniform with rifle and bayonet. A fascinating Indiana Civil War letters soldier’s archive.  Sold for $10,840.

Lot of 108 ALsS from Silas C. Miller of the 100th Indiana Infantry, Company A, and a large framed tintype of Miller, armed.

FREE APPRAISAL. To auction, buy, consign or sell Indiana Civil War letters, please email Nate at [email protected] or phone the Nate D. Sanders Auction House (http://www.NateDSanders.com) at (310) 440-2982. Top dollar obtained for your Indiana Civil War Letters. Thank you.

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