Description:

Remarkable Antietam Letter from Union Soldier, Containing Death of Capt. Newton Manross

A fantastic letter from Union soldier Corporal Eli Manross to his wife, providing great details of the victory at the Battle of Antietam. 3pp of a bifolium, measuring 8" x 12.5", Frederick City, Maryland, dated September 17, 1862. Eli also began a second letter to his wife, dated September 20, 1862, at the bottom of the second page, in which he relates the death of his brother, Captain Newton S. Manross. The letter has flattened mail folds and uneven toning, with some ink spots and light soiling throughout. Overall very fine.

In part:

"...The roar of battle has ceased. Our grand army under McClellan thus far is victorious, having driven the enemy over two mountains and into the Boonesborough valley. Our loss has been heavy, but theirs is much more so. They had the advantage of a strong position. If they could [not] hold their position on the Boonesborough mountain they cannot hold any position in this state. I think this battle will turn the tide of affairs in our our (sic) favor again, Jackson made a great mistake in coming into Maryland. I think it will prove the ruin of the rebel cause. I thought it strange and unaccountable that our splendid army should be driven out of Va, but an overruling providence willed it thus, and I now begin to see that was for the good of our cause...they [rebels] were not looked upon as liberators but as intruders. Maryland is as thoroughly Union today as any northern state. I really believe that there are actually more rabid secessionists in the old state of Connecticut than in the slave state of Maryland... The rebel leaders must have been sorely disappointed, and if they can get out of the state safely (which from present appearances is very doubtful) they will never attempt another invasion of Md. The 16th Conn passed through yesterday on their way to the battlefield. I did not get a chance to see them. They are kept in the rear of the whole army, and will not probably be sent into the fight, only in case of great emergency...We can hear the cannons again, but they are distant, and not frequent, probably our men shelling the scattered rebels…"

The new letter at the bottom of page 2, just three days after the battle of Antietam, reads in part:

"... The letter I sent you yesterday will inform you of the unfortunate and sad death of Newton. I was never more surprised in my life than when I heard the sad news...I went to the place directed and assumed the sad duty of superintending the preparation of sending the body home. Three men of his company were detailed to accompany the body home...He was killed by a sollid [sic] Cannon shot, which struck him in the right breast...He lived about two hours but was unconscious from the time he fell. His last words - the instant that the shot struck him, were O! My Wife. I could hardly repress the tears when I heard this…"

Before the Civil War, Captain Newton Spalding Manross (1825-1862) was renowned for his sound scientific mind. He graduated from Yale in 1850 and went on to receive the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from a German University before becoming a professor at Amherst College, Massachusetts. He enlisted on July 22, 1862, commanding Company K, 16th Connecticut Volunteers. His brother, Eli Manross, enlisted on June 21, 1861, as a corporal in the 5th Connecticut Volunteers. Eli rose to the rank of sergeant and was wounded at Chancellorsville, but survived the war. The Battle of Antietam was the first field engagement in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War to take place on Union soil and still remains the bloodiest day in American history, with a combined tally of 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.

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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