American Historical Ephemera & Photography Online

Letter written by Private Samuel M. Thompson, Co. D, 35th Iowa Infantry, describing the captured Confederate ironclad Louisville and seeing a Gatling gun. Cairo, Illinois, 28 November 1862.

4 pages, on bifolium, 5 1/4 x 7 7/8 in., creased at folds. With postally used envelope addressed to Miss Ruth T. Hollister in Muscatine, Iowa. 

Thompson writes of his experience exploring the Confederate ironclad Louisville: Mr. Baird and I went to see the gunboats which lies [sic] out in the channel of the river we boarded the Louisvill [sic] first, the officer in command was very gentlemanly he answered all questions politely which wer [sic] not a few as this vessle [sic] was in teh Battle of Ft Donolson [sic]we saw where a cannon shot passed through the side and under the Bailors & took off a mans leg an other ball struck an iron railing killing two men & lots of indentations made by cannon shot this boat has 13 large guns all in good condition four on each side carring [sic] balls weighing 75 lbs two parret [sic] guns on the rear & three large brass guns on the bow. Each gun weighing 9800 lbs & carring balls weighing 94 lbs the vessle has just been painted & is in good condition for service..."

Thompson then writes about seeing a Gatling gun for the first time: "On our return for the transport we saw a gun drawn by two horses on four wheels that will shoot sixty balls per minute. I did not see it work but was told it worked by a crank turned by one man..." 

He also notably discusses the copious amount of rats they are dealing with at their current location, even reporting that 1160 were killed in one day.

Samuel M. Thompson enlisted in the Union Army on 15 August 1862, and mustered into Company D of the 35th Iowa Infantry Regiment that same month. Just 3 months later, he would write the letter featured here. He mustered out nearly three years later, in June of 1865, at the same location from which he writes this letter - Cairo, Illinois. His regiment would participate in the Siege of Vicksburg along with the Battles of Jackson, Pleasant Hill, Mansura, Bayou de Glaize, Lake Chicot, Tupelo, and Nashville before the end its service.