American History: Premier Auction

Lot of 11 letters spanning May 1861 - November 1862, with all but three written by Private Robert S. Beckwith, 1st New Jersey Infantry. Letters accompanied by a unique sixth plate tintype of Beckwith in studio setting with patriotic camp scene backdrop, beltplate and buttons highlighted in gold, and tinted cheeks. Tintype housed under mat and glass in half pressed paper case.

Robert S. Beckwith (1834-1862) was the son of Thomas Beckwith (1798-1861) and Sally Stanton Beckwith (1799-1847) of Windham, Connecticut. He enlisted as a private for three years service on May 8, 1861, then mustered into Co. D, 1st New Jersey Infantry on May 22, 1861. The 1st New Jersey Infantry was one of four regiments that initially constituted the famed "First New Jersey Brigade," and participated in a multitude of hard-fought Eastern Theater engagements. 

The earliest letter in the collection was written by Robert Beckwith's older brother Thomas Beckwith (1824-1896) and dates to May 14, 1861, less than a week after the younger Beckwith's enlistment. Thomas writes of having received a letter from Robert and of general news from home. Thomas' wife Sarah Harris Beckwith includes a note for her brother-in-law as well. The final two letters of the collection include a second letter from Thomas and an attorney's letter both of which post-date Robert's death. The remaining eight letters in the archive are written by Robert to his close friends, John and Mary Billings of South Easton, Pennsylvania. John P. Billings was a cousin to Robert's sister-in-law Minerva Billings Beckwith (wife of a second older brother, Chester H. Beckwith), and was evidently a close friend and confidante of the youngest Beckwith brother.

Robert Beckwith's letters initially express the common sentiment that the war would be short, and detail the difficulties of a soldier's life. "We have been almost starving to death for the last month..." Robert writes to John and Mary on August 14, 1861, before continuing "...We have moved more than a dozen times from one camp to another and marched more than 800 miles. I hope that if John ever goes as a soldier again, that he will get shot because if I was clear, I am sure I would never go again because they don't treat their men good enough. They treat them like dogs more than like men...." 

As winter turned into the spring/summer of 1862, the 1st New Jersey would begin to encounter more sustained and bloody fighting. Robert wrote from "Battle Field Fair Oak / June 26th 1862" saying "I have witnessed some hard fighting. Since I wrote you before, I have been in one fight - the Battle of West Point. Our Division was against 80,000 & held them until we got reinforcements." Then approximately one month later Robert pens his last letter in this archive. Writing hastily to John and Mary while on picket duty: "...I will tell you about the Battles I was in a few day after I wrote you the last letter it was the Battle of Ganes Mills on the 27 of June we lost a great many of our Brave men in that fight...the balls flew thick that day's fight...& I can tell you we have it pretty hard since we made that retreat...."

The road did not get any easier for Beckwith and the men of the New Jersey 1st Infantry. At the Battle of Bull Run Bridge, August 27, 1862, Robert Beckwith sustained a severe injury before becoming a Confederate POW and ultimately dying of his wounds. Beckwith's headstone in Windham Center Cemetery, Windham, CT, lists his date of death as August 31, 1862.