Lot 304

Ohio Soldier's Letter w/ Gruesome Account of Chancellorsville

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Ohio Soldier's Letter w/ Gruesome Account of Chancellorsville

Estimate: $500 - $600

Current Bid: $160

(1 Bid)

June 17, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
Wilton, CT, US

Description:

Civil War
Eastern Virginia, May 8, 1863
Ohio Soldier's Letter w/ Gruesome Account of Chancellorsville
Letter

Soldier's letter by Jacob M. Boroway of the Ohio 107th Infantry with Battle of Chancellorsville content. 4pp.,7.875" x 9.875"; "Camp Near Brooks Station / Eastern Virginia"; May 8, 1863. Boroway, a private in Company "A", writes to his brother describing the Battle of Chancellorsville, including graphic detail of the wounds suffered and mention of the flank attack by Stonewall Jackson's forces. With flattened mail folds, and light soiling on the last page. Exceptional content written in a firm and highly legible script.

In part:

"…i am well and all right, yet we had to leave hour [sic] camp ten days ago and they marched us some 30 miles around for to head the rebs. the first we went to Hartford church and layed there till 4 o'clock in the morning…then we crossed the Rappahannock river and marched on that night till 3 o'clock in the morning then we stopped probably two hours then we had to sling the knapsacks and travel to the battle field then we layed there till about mid night then we got kneuse [sic] that the enamy was near…the next day the pyoneers [sic] dug rifle pits that was on satterday and on satterday evening the rebes made the attact at the right wing and their is whare we were. they came on to us quite unexpected with sixty thousand strong and fired on three sides and that came too heavy. We couldend hold hour ground…we fell back to whare we got near force then we fought them till 10 o'clock in the night, then the rebes gave up, but on Sunday morning they attacked again at 8 o'clock in the morning and fought us on that day till two o'clock in the afternoon but we weren't in that fight on Sunday…those Old soldiers sayes was the hardest artilerly fireing done that was known of. yet my dear brother it goes awful in a battle. the balls comes as thick as hail. Oh brother you ought of just seen the killed and wounded…the dead men layed on piles and the road just full of wounded going to the hospital. some had their legs shot off, others arms, other hands, some shot in the head some wounded in the legs some in the arms I seen several that were shot right throug the belly and wasend dead. in the field whare we fought was a nice brick house and they were several women living in that house but they were secesh women and they were dressed in silk on Sunday about 10 o'clock hour men took a lot of prisoners and some of them prisoners were wounded seareiously especially one such a good looking boy. he had his right arm shot of and one of them girls lead that boy to the Hospital and the blood of his arm run down over her silk dress…she sayed that she would stick to him or else dye with him…"

Boroway compares the woman's loyalty to the soldier to that of the North: "people in the north that just laughs at us boys to be such fools as to go and fight." He then provides a report of the casualties of the Battle: "We lost in our brigade nine hundred and some 70 men and in our regiment one hundred and 17 teen in our Company seven that are wounded and missing. daniel stahl got wounded slitely and henry divins haint with the regiment yet. He is eather taken prisoner or killed…"

Jacob M. Boroway was mustered into Company "A", Ohio 107th Infantry on September 9, 1862. He was wounded two months after writing this letter on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. He recovered, and was promoted to corporal on February 1, 1864. He served until the end of the war.

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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  • Dimensions: 9.875" x 7.875"
  • Medium: Letter

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