American Historical Ephemera and Photography Online

Letter from sharpshooter Alden Spooner, 18th & 32nd Massachusetts Infantry, 1st Division, V Corps, describing his rifle.

"Camp of the 1st Division Sharp Shooters Near Poplar Springs Church, Va," 9 November 1864.

4 pages, on bifolium, 5 x 7 7/8 in., creasing, occasional spotting/staining.

Spooner shows some personality in his letter to a friend, evoking "the service of Uncle Samuel" and opining that "the more help the better and one old man is worth five new ones, the last move we was [sic] on we had a good many new regiments and they would break and run at the sight of the rebs...all they had to do was a little skirmishing..."

Another interesting point in the letter comes when Spooner describes his rifle, writing: "...i have got an old rifle now that suits me exactly it weighs 21 pounds and has got a good teliscope [sic] on it, i can see the buttons on a rebs coat half a mile away, it has laid away a few of the rebs to try an would have laid out more of them but they won't let us shoot on pickit [sic] unless the rebs commence it and they take pretty good care not to begin it..."

Turning to politics and regiment leadership, Spooner writes: "...well i think that Uncle Abe will have a chance to steer the old ship another four years i supose [sic] that i shall know now in three or four days, there was some Mac men in all the regiments but they was [sic] mostly pot wrestlers or hospital bummers the 20th Maine went 117 for Abe and 10 for Mac. Well we have got a Captain now that will get out and play with us you ought to have seen him last night playing leap frog..."

Alden Spooner enlisted as a private on 12 August 1862, and mustered into Company E in the 18th Massachusetts Infantry the same day. Though the details are unclear, he re-enlisted on 1 January 1864, and was transferred into Company K of the 32nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in October of that year, less than a month before this letter was written. Though there is not a specified date, he is listed as having been accidentally wounded during target practice, which is likely the wound that led to his death, succumbing to injuries on 9 February 1865.