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Lot 181
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Civil War Collection of 30 Letters by Sergeant Charles Baxter
Civil War Collection of 30 Letters by Sergeant Charles Baxter
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Description:

Civil War Collection of 30 Letters by Sergeant Charles Baxter

Collection of 30 letters, many diary-style spanning several days, by Sergeant Charles Baxter of the 27th New Jersey Infantry, an articulate officer who describes the Battle of Fredericksburg in several letters during the battle and immediately afterwards, in addition to writing vividly about slavery and other incidents of the War. The lot also includes five letters written by Baxter during the War, but after his enlistment, and well as over 50 letters and documents of the Baxter family in the 19th century. Letters are in very good condition with legible writing, with full transcriptions included.

Baxter's first Fredericksburg letter spans two days, written from "Fredricksburg on the bank of the Rappahannock" on 14 December 1862, in part, "A shell burst over our heads a piece of which struck Wm. C. Bonnel. A solid shot came near the left flank entering the ground several feet. How serious B-'s wound is I do not know as he was carried off before I could get close enough to see him. I took a run up in the city while we were laying idle, saw five dead Rebel bodies killed by Thursday's shells. Although they were traitors to their country, it made me feel bad to see their mangled bodies. The extent of Rebel loss on Thursday I cannot determine. Some fellows saw two or three bodies beside what I saw myself & that twenty others were buried by our troops & it is very natural to suppose that a goodly number of wounded would have been taken care of by the Rebs themselves. As the number of killed is always smaller in number to their wounded"

The letter continues, "writing to you on a piece of Rebel ordnance receipt, the only papers I can at present procure…we arrived on the opposite side of the river & encamped so close to the Rebel line that we could have been shelled from their batteries. I was awakened early Thursday morning by artillery & cries of the ball has commenced…Our camp was aroused in double quick time, knapsacks were packed & stacked to be left behind, twenty more rounds of cartridges dealt out & we were on the march in a very short space of time, but found when a short distance out of camp. It was impossible to make any progress because of multitudes of traps being ahead of us."

"From what I can learn I think we suffered considerably at some points along the lines. Through bad mismanagement the 25th NYV suffered severely just at night being led on a marked Rebel battery & through mistakes subjected to a fire from some of our regts. The South Brigade is said to be badly cut up being led on the enemy where it was under cover. Just before we took possession of this place the Rebs piled a large quantity of tobacco on the wharf laying wood & other combustible material around it for the purpose of burning it, but fearing the destruction might not be quick & complete enough, threw it in the river…Quite an amount of it has been fished out by our men & they are now enjoying it hugely. Our orderly has just rec'd a Rebel paper in which its value is estimated at $175,000. The firing back of us has ceased & hear the Rebels have raised a flag of truce so the Sabbath is to be observed."

In another letter dated Christmas 1862, he writes to his family of the aftermath, "During Monday there was no fighting excepting occasional artillery firing, the whole attention being given to the wounded. They were taken across the pontoon bridge at the lower part of the city, this being best protected from the enemies fire & also within a hundred rods of us, in ambulances & on stretchers during the whole day quietude reigned among the soldiers, they had explored the city to their hearts content & seemed perfectly willing to lay behind their gunstacks & watch the many mournful processions that crossed the Rhapahannock…We had scarcely fallen asleep when our officers were running around among us telling us to fall in & to observe the utmost silence while doing so…Some thought we would move to some point closer to the enemy from which we would open fire on them in the morning, others that we would cross the river & aid in an attack on either flank. Such was my opinion when I found we were to cross & I was under the impression we were moving toward the left flank of the enemy untill we got nearly back to our old camp ground. The idea of an inglorious retreat (I say inglorious it was also wise) had not once entered my mind…Awaking Tuesday morning to find it raining smartly & myself laying in a little puddle of water. Oh what a night that was to the poor wounded soldiers, many of whom yet laid on the battle field uncared for & exposed to the storm the livelong night. In what light to the people of V-n [Vernon, New Jersey] regard the Fredericksburg Battle…Among those who were engaged in it (the soldiers) it is regarded as a disastrous failure…The battle of F-g has disheartened them, they were not then led on to battle but to slaughter. I saw a copy of the NY Times which stated our troops were not discouraged by our defeat, but were anxious to meet the enemy again. This I know to be untrue…The enemy took possession of F-g very soon after we evacuated…I could have a good view of the Rebs as they were moving about in the city (being in fact almost within hailing distance). They are a dirty miserable looking set. Those I saw had clothes of every color & kind. I remarked to an artillery man (while looking at them) that they were sorry looking soldiers. In reply to which he said, their fighting were as not to be laughed at if they were."

On 9 November, he writes of a slaveowner and his slaves, "The old bachelor (at whose house our company made its headquarters) is a slaveholder & my impression is a very degraded individual too. This is the first time I have witnessed slavery & being brought in contact with the institution does not serve to diminish the dislike & prejudice I have always entertained for it. The picture given us by them who are its enemies is not overdrawn if this one example represents it every where. This old fellow had twenty slaves at the breaking out of the rebellion & has only half of them left. The wife & children of one of his negroes was driven off by the Rebels. In a few days after they were taken he missed the negro who returned in six weeks with his whole family. I do not know as I could give you any description of the manner of living where there is slavery. Though I think if this one family is a fair representation of Virginia in general, it is sadly behind the times. The slaves are kept apart from the dwelling house in miserably tents excepting two or three cooks. I saw two worn out slave which were wretchedness exemplified. Although this family (or bachelor) is wealthy, he had no cooking conveniences but old pots & their irons with which the slaves would manage to cook."

Drama unfolded in Baxter's regiment beginning in late June 1863, when the regiment was held over to help defend Pennsylvania against Confederate incursion. He writes on 23 June 1863 from Camp "below Uniontown Pennsylvania", "…we first learned of the invasion of Pennsylvania & of the danger that threatened Pittsburg, Harrisburg, & other towns on the line of the Central Railroad…The regt. was so exasperated because of being taken of its direct route home that it refused to comply with any orders or do any duty…the majority of the men were so incensed that they would listen to nothing but insulted the Col. while he tried to talk to them as gentleman. When he found that the regt. was unmanageable that it was of no use to reason or expostulate with it, he wept bitter tears. The regt. he had thought to be so patriotic & so have would not aid a sister state in repelling a common enemy (because its time was out) as a last resource he had each company to go to places separate from home and each other & find how many more would volunteer to remain with him in Penn ten days of co. & but six or seven agreed to stay & but 150 in the whole regt. agreed to remain for said time. Feeling that I would act the part of a coward if I refused my service & knowing that my parents & friends would regard me as such, I volunteered to remain the specified time…know it will grieve you to have my return home postponed to a later period though I know you would feel still worse to have me act the part of a coward."

In addition to Baxter's 30 letters while enlisted, he writes to a soldier friend in 1864 while employed as a school teacher in New Jersey, reflecting on friends he lost in battle. He ends the letter, "Every sacrifice increases the devotion of the true patriot, makes the cause of his county doubly dear to him & leads him to resolve that the mostly dead shall not have died in vain. But enough of this, you were not acquainted with my friend & my eulogizing him can not interest you."

An engaging set of letters by a thoughtful and educated enlisted man.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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