February 2017 Auction Ends Thursday, February 23rd, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/23/2017
Union Surgeon's letters by Peraz Randall of the 5th West Virginia Infantry, Co. S, with detailed content on the Battle of Cross Keys, and also interesting slavery content. Lot of three letters begins on 23 February 1862 with Union Surgeon Randall discussing the Battle of Moorfield, ''...We have had some fighting here. I suppose you have seen the account of the Morefield fight in which our Regt done the most of it. We had a few wounded but none killed. Our men are scatered a good many at Parkersburg [including] my assistant surgeon...''
Randall then writes from Mt. Jackson, Virginia on 15 June 1862 with gory details about the Battle of Cross Keys, ''...We have been on a forced march for 5 or 6 weeks. We overtook Gen. Jackson last Sunday and had a hard fight. Our Regt. lost 28 killed and wounded. Thos. Stofford of Paintsville [Kentucky] was the first killed. His back bone was cut in two by a shell. I do not know the exact amt lost by our army. The first account was between 4 & 500, but I think it is over 600. We fought till night then the rebels run and burned a bridge behind them 12 miles this side of Stanton. I suppose you know Fremont is with us and commanding. We have about 30,000 men and the Reb Jackson is said to have more than we have. On a little more than an acre of ground where one of their batteries were we counted 27 dead horses and in following them we saw dead men, legs, arms and feet, broken waggons, dead horses, cloths, broken army equipments and almost everything. The battle was fought about 7 miles beyond Harrisonburg, Rockingham Co. where Col. Gray lives. I staid 3 nights with Col. Gray and was treated like a gentleman. He is a gentleman yet. The only time I have slept in house since the first of March is the 3 nights I staid with Co. Gray and for 6 weeks we have not have our tents with us and of course we have to sleep on Mother Earth, but we are soldiering now...''
Randall then writes of slaves owned by Col. Gray, who were perhaps in danger of being sold to pay a debt, ''...Col. Gray tells me that he left some of his negroes with McHenry...Col. Gray had heard that McHenry has trumped up an acct. of $3 or 400, had them levied on in order to sell them...He made me promise to write you and get you to attend to getting the negroes...He does not want the children separated from the mother. He will pay all expenses and if McHenry has a judgement do not let them sell. I myself will quarantine any amount that is necessary to save them till Col. Gray can come and see to the business himself...''
Randall's last letter is dated 29 July 1862 with more content on the Battle of Cross Keys, ''...We are now in eastern Va. with our army encamped around in a circuit of 30 miles and I suppose we have about 60 or 70,000 men under Gen. Pope. The Rebs are at Gordonsville and near there 60,000 strong. We will have a grand battle before long. The Rebs under Stonewall Jackson and we under Gen. Pope. Gen. Sigel is on camd. of our division. It will be a hard fight. Our Genl. are anxious. I mean such Genl. as Milroy, Schenck, Stahl etc who are brigade Genls. What the event will be or who will survive the great battle is in the future. We have had hard times since in march, marching without tents, without anything for comfort, same thing on short rations night and day till we drove Jackson away across the river at Port Republic 12 miles below Staunton, had a battle at Cross Keys near Port Republic where we lost about 1000 killed and wounded. We have marched in rain and night till our men would drop down by the side of the road exhausted and some had to be dragged from under the cannon wheels. We then marched back to Strausville from there to Port Royal then up the Luray Valley over the Blue Ridge to this place where we have been encamped two weeks or more, concentrating the forces fir a great battle which will be soon. This is soldiering...I took sick with camp diarrhea and was so bad that for a while I was afraid I could not stand it, but Col. Ziegler got me into a private home for two weeks at $1 per day. Their I began to get better. Col. Ziegler is one of the cleverest men in the world...I have been in one battle. The others before this were only skirmishes but at Cross Keys I suppose we had some 15,000 men engaged. I was in the rear of the regiment and I suppose the enemy saw our march down a little valley and after they had passed they poured cannon ball, grape and bombshell right into the place where I was. One cannon ball struck within struck within 3 feet of me and a bombshell came within 2 feet of my horse and me on him. We lost about 1000 men. In our Regt. about 32 killed and wounded. Thos. Stafford from Paintsville was the first killed. His back was cut in two by a shell...'' All 3 letters are quite lengthy, one accompanied by its envelope. Very good condition, with transcriptions.
Letter Lot by Surgeon in the 5th West Virginia Infantry on Slavery & Battle of Cross Keys -- ''...We counted 27 dead horses and in following them we saw dead men, legs, arms and feet...''
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