American Historical Ephemera & Photography

Letter signed ("David D. Porter") as Acting Rear Admiral, Commanding Mississippi Squadron, to Captain Henry Walke. Cairo, Illinois, 25 November 1862. 1 p., 4to, on stationery of the U. S. Mississippi Squadron. Porter orders Walke to see to the provisioning of the Rams Sutherland and Queen of the West, which are approaching to join Walke’s command in the expedition. Porter adds "These vessels I believe have no medical assistance. You will please give them such assistance as you can, from the Squadron." Sutherland and Queen of the West were headed up the Mississippi to pass Fort Hudson in preparation for the attack on Vicksburg under joint command of Porter and Grant.

[With:]

Letters signed "Freeman Williams" to his mother, with shorter notes to his father and Aunt Martha, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 24 July 1862. 2 ½ pp., 4to (creasing and tears along folds, manual repairs, lower half of 2nd page missing). Letter written "by the hand of [missing] Anderson." Writing from a field hospital near the city with the assistance of a fellow soldier, William describes the situation near Vicksburg: “. . . we have moved out of reach of the bombs to a beautiful camping ground two mils and a half east of Vicksburg.  The citizens are camped all round us which came out of town in time of the bombardment.  There was a little artillery fight three days ago[.] one of the enemy[‘]s boats came down the river[.] our batries was fireing at her all the time and is thought cripled her by her floating of[f] down stream[.] another run up to the ram and sounded a signal of distress and went back up the river[.] the Yankees gunboats can be seen very plain from the town[.] they have a good many Gunboats Mortarboats and Rams and scores of transportations[.] there drums can be heard very plain. . . .” Having failed to force the surrender of Vicksburg in May 1862, Farragut returned toward the end of June with a flotilla and bombarded throughout July, but failed to secure the desired surrender of the city.  The attack had significantly diminished by the date of this letter.  Vicksburg would not fall until 1863.

Autograph letter signed ("Benjamin Whorton"), to his wife, Fort Pickering, Tennessee, 20 March 1863.  4 pp., 8vo (light soil, creasing at folds, residue at fold). Whorton is ill and looks forward to being mustered out for health reasons: “. . .waiting for my descriptive roll & just as soon as it comes to hand I expect to try and appear before the board for examination for discharge if I can get a discharge & am bound for to quit the service....a very many troops are being sent off to Vicksburg from here and else where.  It is expected that they will attack that place soon.”  The Siege of Vicksburg would begin two months after this letter.  Fort Pickering, on the Mississippi in Memphis, had fallen to the Union in June 1862. Benjamin Whorton is likely private Benjamin Whorton, Co. C, Iowa 29th Infantry, enlisted 8/13/1862 and discharged 8/10/1865.

Autograph letter signed ("W.J. Green") to his brother John H. Green. Soldiers Home, Vicksburg, MS, 24 May 1864. 2 1/5 pp., 8vo. (light soil, creasing at the folds). Union soldier Green details a trip down the Mississippi River on the Steamer Pauline Carrol from Memphis to his stop at Vicksburg, which is not his final destination.  They “put up at the Soldiers Home and then took a stroll through the city[.] it has been a nice place before the war broke out but our shot and shell played Smash with the place and the Dog Holes the Rebels dug in the Bluffs are as thick as Hops.”  He mentions that, while they were stopped at Helena, “the Steamer Westmorland landed with troops for White River.”