American Historical Ephemera and Photography

3 page letter. "Camp Hamilton," 27 April 1862. 5 x 8 in., on bifolium (folds, soiling, some occasional stains). Written to his sister

"The Galena has arrived, and yesterday struck her masts, having nothing but her smoke stack above the deck, which is shot proof. She is a wicked looking craft, and as the Virginia is daily expected they may soon have a chance to try her. It seems to me that the three vessels can whip anything the Rebs can bring along.

"The darkeys are at work building a railroad from the fort to our camp where the new store houses are, and I shouldn't wonder if it was extended farther."

An interesting tidbit of camp life intel is that they have just received new tents, as the old ones were condemned. Smith feels it is "wasting labor to make the improvements as we are soon coming home, the fall of Yorktown must soon take place and soon after you will see me at home."

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4 page letter. "Gosport Navy Yard," 12 May 1862. 7 3/4 x 10 in., on bifolium (folds, toning, soiling, some significant separations repaired with clear tape). Written to his mother.

Smith gives descriptions of the infantry and naval action leading to the fall of Norfolk, Virginia in this letter. He writes of boarding a ship and landing at Willoughby's Point, "where we expected to, as the Monitor and 4 war vessels had been shelling Sewall's Point during the afternoon and the Rif Rafs [sic] had kept up a steady fire all the evening. "

On the hot and miserable march toward Norfolk with General Wool, Mansfield, and Weber, they got word that there was "a battery ahead to be carried," though when they arrived to it the rebel troops had already left and "not a 'Secesh' was to be seen." The 20th NY planted their flag on the ramparts of the battery. After resting and drinking some coffee, Smith's 16th Massachusetts started for the city.

Smith writes of entering the city, "...we entered it a little before dark and showed them the first yankee flag that they had seen for some time, and I assure you I never felt prouder in my life than when marching through the streets of Norfolk...One old man approached the color bearer and taking off his hat exclaimed, 'I thank God, I'm all right now', another one took off his hat at the sight and said 'I bless God that I have lived to see the star spangled banner once more'...and many similar scenes I witnessed."

Smith then describes the "tremendous fire" proceeding from the Navy Yard, where the rebels had set fire to all but two of the shops and all of the vessels. Across the river they had burned a cotton warehouse, and 500 boxes of tobacco were thrown overboard. They encountered a "gang with some boxes in the street" who scattered leaving 4 boxes of weapons and ammunition, a couple of rebel-occupied buildings set up as commissary stores, and several soldiers, about whom Smith writes, "they are the worst dressed men you ever saw."

"About 5 yesterday morning we heard a loud report, which proved to be the blowing up of the Merrimac, three of her crew were brought here...the rest landed on Craney Island and were taken by the garrison to Richmond, they say they could not get out nor touch us without shelling their own cities, so they blew her up. They say that the Monitor used her up badly."

Smith reports a flag of truce bring brought from General Huger to the Colonel, and most notably, "Old Abe came round to every boat at the fort and bid us God speed."

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4 page letter. "Camp near Fair Oaks," 20 June 1862. 7 3/4 x 10 in., on bifolium (folds, toning, soiling, occasional stains). With stamped and cancelled cover addressed to Mrs. E. Smith of Newton, MA. Written to his mother.

Smith writes that on Sunday afternoon, which would have been 15 June, "we had a smart thunder shower and in the midst of it the Rebs made a dash at our pickets and took a capt and forty men, some two or three were killed, including Gen Sickle's aid. We were under arms and stood though the shower formed in line of battle again at three the next morning we were turned out by skirmishing on the pickets toward our left and several times since sunday they have thrown a few shells amongst us but without doing much hurt."

Smith then describes the actions of Wednesday, 18 June, writing that a bugle sounded at 10 o'clock and Smith's regiment was called in to deploy in the woods between the Williamsburg Road and the railroad in order to drive in the enemy's pickets and determine the chances of taking artillery through. He writes, in part: "We started in with good relish, well pleased at the chance of meeting some rebels, and as for myself, I had a curiosity to know how I should feel under fire...very soon after the firing began on the left and in a few moments became general along the whole line. We advanced so rapidly that they could not keep their cover, but left as quick as possible, and here they met their greatest loss, our boys raking them terribly."

Smith says that he and his pards were so eager that they paid little attention to cover, and received a volley of fire which killed some. "...we pushed them through the woods clear to their rifle pits, although we suffered badly...a son of Dr Sherman, of Waltham, and a number of our co falling dead within five feet of me. There were four of us standing in a small open space, when a dozen or more bullets whistled by us, and he fell shot in the mouth...We were obliged to leave our comrade where he fell as it would have been death to have approached him, but it seemed hard, although we knew he was beyond surgical aid."

Smith gives the results of the skirmish, reporting that within 3/4 of an hour, 18 men were killed, 25 wounded, and 11 missing. The names of some of the casualties he reports include Lieutenant Rogers of Company F (killed), Captain Donovan of Company D (missing), Orderly Sergeant Charles F. Coburn (wounded), and more. Guessing as to the casualties on other side of the fight, Smith opines: "it was certainly greater than our own. I know of 5 killed by Co K alone."

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2 page letter. Fair Oaks, 27 June 1862. 8 5/8 x 8 3/8 in. (folds, torn edges, toning, ink very light). With stamped and canceled cover addressed to Mrs. E. Smith of Newton, MA. Written to his mother.

Writing only 3 days before he would receive his own gunshot wound to the face, Smith describes the Battle of Oak Grove, the first of the Seven Days Battles.

"There was a fight here day before yesterday the attack was made by our division and Kearney's was also engaged, we got a possession of the belt of woods in the front of us. My Co was not engaged, but was under fire a good share of the day. Seven co's were in the fight, and the loss of the regt was was [sic] 26 in killed, wounded, and missing. Lieut Flagg was wounded in the arm. Keyes was hit in the head by [indecipherable] shell but it did not explode, and only stunned him."

Smith tells of the enemy's attack of General Fitz John Porter at Beaver Dam Creek the following day (June 26), writing that they received reports stating that Porter had "turned their left, and whipped them at every point." Interestingly, Porter and his V Corps would be forced to abandon their position the very next day at Gaines' Mill.

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2 page letter. "In Hospital," 13 July 1862. 6 1/4 x 8 3/8 in. (folds, occasional staining, soiling). with stamped and cancelled cover addressed to Mrs. E. Smith of Newton, MA. Written to his mother.

Just 13 days after being shot in the face, Smith writes to his mother, who had heard of the incident and apparently taken it well: "I don't know where the story could start from that I was dead, for I am sure I don't intend to die at present., though I didn't know yesterday but I should. It seems there is a vein on the inside my lip which is inclined to trouble me, it had bled a little once before, but yesterday morning when I woke I found it had bled freely during my sleep, I called the nurse, and while cleaning my mouth, it commenced to bleed again, and continued untill [sic] the nurse got frightened and went for the Dr. who came, but before it stopped I was so weak that they had to hold me up. I never came so near to fainting in my life."

As to his appearance, Smith writes that the doctors told him that they thought he should not be badly disfigured, but that he would never be able to chew anything, "for most all of my jawbone is missing, but I can stow away spoon victuals beautifully."

In an attempt at humor, Smith writes: "tell Mary there is little danger of my joining my reg't, as I have no cartridge teeth. I shall be discharged as soon as I get well."

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Together, 5 incredible letters written by Asa D. Smith, containing descriptions of the destruction of Norfolk, VA, and multiple skirmishes as part of battles comprising the Peninsula Campaign, the first large-scale offensive carried out in the Eastern Theater of the war.

Asa D. Smith (1835-1911) was a 25-year-old shoemaker when he enlisted as a corporal on 2 July 1861. He was mustered into Company K of the 16th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment that same day. On 30 June 1862, he was severely wounded at the Battle of Glendale, VA, by a gunshot to the face that tore his chin "to pieces," as he described it. After a painstaking journey, which is captured beautifully in "Asa Smith Leaves the War," an article edited and introduced by Bruce Catton in American Heritage (a photocopy of which is included in the lot), he finally made it to the hospital at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he was treated and discharged for disability.

Smith went on to become a doctor, graduating with an MD from the Boston University School of Medicine in 1877, and opening a practice in South Boston thereafter.