Civil War Union Letters
Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac - An Eye-Witnessed Account in a Historic Handwritten Letter by a Union Soldier
March 18, 1862-Dated Civil War Period, Manuscript Handwritten Letter by a Union Soldier who Eye-Witnessed the Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac, Choice Very Fine.
An important Civil War Firsthand Eye-witnessed Account Union Soldier's Letter, measuring 5" x 8", 3 pages, from Camp Butler, VA. "The cause of all the disturbance was a southern vessel called the Merrimac, a kind of floating battery and it is a curious kind of machine it is arranged so that it lowers and raises, raises and fires and closes its port holes and loads and then raises again, and it is so arranged that common firing will not interfere with it at all." This historic Letter is well written and easily readable in rich brown ink on very clean wove period paper by a Union Soldier who watched the famous Naval Battle between the Union Ironclad Monitor and the Confederate Merrimac in 1862. Mailed to a "G. K. King", this important Letter reads, in full:
"Camp Butler, Va. March 18, 1862 -- Cousin George --
I have a few leisure moments and I improve them in writing to you. I am well and enjoying myself first rate. I never was any tougher than at present. We have been expecting an attack for the last two or three days and are staying in fear of one every day, we are not very strong here just now and if we are attacked very soon we would have to start for that old tobacco factory in Richmond, but I think if we are not taken in the course of a week it will cost some lives to take this place. I have not heard form home in a long time and am anxious to for the last time I heard mother was quite sick and it was some two or three weeks ago and I want to hear oftener than that.
I had a letter from Milo two or three days ago and he told me not to write again until I heard from him again and I mistrusted that the regiment he is in was going to leave where he was, but I don't know anything about it. I suppose that you have heard of the naval engagement that took place just off the point here, we had a fair view of the fight all through and it was a splendid sight and a decided victory in favor of the Secession cause and we would have been shelled out but for the Ericson battery coming up just as it did. The cause of all the disturbance was a southern vessel called the Merrimac, a kind of floating battery and it is a curious kind of machine it is arranged so that it lowers and raises, raises and fires and closes its port holes and loads and then raises again, and it is so arranged that common firing will not interfere with it at all.
The time has come for drilling and I must go soon. If I had time I would give you a short description of the fight but Good day. -- Yours, -- (Signed) Ed
(Includes a typed full transcription.) Don't we wish Ed had a few more minutes to also describe a blow by blow, full "description of the fight"! A great Monitor and the Merrimac naval battle content letter, in choice condition.