MUSEUM QUALITY
AMERICANA
COMMEMORATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CIVIL WAR WITH
THE FINEST ORIGINAL SOLDIER'S LETTERS AND ARTIFACTS
This is the finest Massachusetts battle letter we have offered! William H. Goff, Company H. of the 24th Mass. Infantry writes a graphic 10 page battle letter from Deep Bottom, Virginia August 21st, 1864. Writing to his sister, he gives battle descriptions that a collector only dreams about the possibility of owning! There are so many great lines in this letter its impossible to summarize! Here are a few…
· “We have done nothing but fight, fight for the last seven days, our regiment has lost
heavily loosing 117 men.”
· “The 10th Con. 11th M. and 1st Mas. were deployed as skirmishers and moved forward
but they didn’t go far before they were met with a heavy fire from the rebel rifle pits,
we, the 24th, were drawn up in line just back of them laying flat on the ground.”
· “I was laying in the front rank and the bullets were flying pretty thick around me. I had
not laid here but a few minutes when a bullet came whizzing right over me and struck my
rear rank man in the fleshy part of the thigh passed through and struck the man that lay
next back of him in the head, he only lived a short time.”
· “Our boys poured into them volley after volley and mowed them down like grass before a
scythe we drove them back 2 or 3 times and could have kept them back had they not
charged down into the ravine and got on to our flank, they fought like tigers and so did
we, we could not give up when we had drove them so many times. It was a sad scene, never
to be forgot to see our boys falling on every side.”
· “…we would not fall back without orders, so we stood and kept on loading and firing what
there was left of us. All that Co. H had in the pits was twenty five men.”
· “George Clark was shot through the heart and also fell in the pits. The man that stood on
my left hand was shot through the breast and lived only a few moments. The man that
stood back of me was shot in the leg, and the man on my right after poor Streeter fell was
shot through the bowels he lived only a short time.”
· “Out of the 25 boys of our Co, three was killed instantly 2 wounded so they lived but a short
time and four wounded and carried to the hospital, 5 or 6 was knocked down with spent
balls. I was struck on the shoulder with a bullet which made a large hole in my blouse but
did not hurt me. Out of the 8 Attleboro boys that was in our Co when we left camp last
Sunday morning every one of them has been hit with bullets but Albert Dean.”
· “When our Lieutenant was reporting to the Commander of our Regiment he told him he never
before saw men stand up and take it so cool as we did, he said we would have stayed until the
last man fell if we had not received orders to fall back. He said we were the bravest of braves.
I never want to be in such a place again for it was a hard sight to see men falling all around
you.”
· “The loss in our Brigade is about 600. It makes me feel sad to look round and see the tents
that are empty so many of our number gone…”
A very significant line in the letter is this one:
“William A. Streeter was shot through the head and fell dead
in the pits I was standing by his side at the time. It made me feel sad to
see him fall for there was not a better young man in the Co.”
With the letter is William Goff’s own CDV of William Streeter.
Written on the back of the CDV:
“William A. Streeter Sergt. Co. H. 24th Mass. Vols.
Killed at Deep Run Aug. 16/64”
&
“This picture belongs to Wm. H. Goff”
Our writer, William Goff, after the war became post-commander of GAR Post No. 145 apply named the “William A. Streeter Post”! Our letter is easily read, has nice dark ink, some aging stains and fold separations, but overall, very fine!
#S26 – Price for the letter and CDV $1,695
Transcription:
Deep Bottom Va.
Aug. 21st, 1864
My Dear Sister
The past week has truly been a sad week and will carry mourning to many
homes. We have done nothing but fight, fight for the last seven days, Our regiment
has lost heavily loosing 117 men. Eight days ago we had orders to pack everything and
be ready to move in an hours notice with three days rations in our haversacks.
Everybody thought we was going to leave this Department but Sunday morning Aug.
14th, before light we were turned out with orders to be ready to move in half an hour in
light marching order and now we found out that our troops of the 2nd & 10th Corps. had
been crossing the river ever since midnight and had moved out in advance just behind
our picket line. At daylight we was ready and our Brigade moved out and took the
advance for we knew the law of the land. The 10th Con. 11th M. and 1st Mas. were
deployed as skirmishers and moved forward but they didn’t go far before they were met
with a heavy fire from the rebel rifle pits, we, the 24th, were drawn up in line just back of
them laying flat on the ground. I was laying in the front rank and the bullets were flying
pretty thick around me. I had not laid here but a few minutes when a bullet came
whizzing right over me and struck my rear rank man in the fleshy part of the thigh passed
through and struck the man that lay next back of him in the head, he only lived a short
time.
The order was then given to form in mass by division. Gen. Terry then rode up
and he said he had picked us out to make a charge on their line of works he wanted us to
remember old Mass and go in and do as well as we did on Morris Island when we charged
on the enemies rifle pits before Fort Wagner, and we did go in with a will, and made a
glorious charge driving everything before us. We took possession of their line of works and
captured 80 rebels or more. I don’t know just the number, it was a splendid affair. Our
Regt. was again formed and down in a ravine where we lay until noon while in this position
Corpl. Fields you remember him, I guess, he was at home on a furlough the same time that
I was, was shot in the kneepan and they are fearful he will lose his leg; poor fellow I hope
not for he is a very nice young man. We then moved up to the right towards four mile run
about a mile and then halted and Co. I and our Co. went on picket and stayed until dark
when they drew in the picket so we rested until midnight. We were in the woods, and it
rained all night so that the roads were very muddy. At midnight we again took up our line
of march moving to the right all the time we passed by four guns and two morters that some
of our boys took during the day. We marched 2 hours, then halted for the night on
Strawberry Plain. The 2nd Corps were out 3 miles in advance and we moved up just in the
rear of them. During the day Monday, our boys had a little time to rest, and the enemy didn’t
molest us. But the next morning Tuesday, our Brigade moved out to the right and formed in
the Pine woods and advanced our skirmishers we moved down through the woods and into a
large swamp where it was almost impossible to get through but we passed on to small hill
where our regiment layed down and the skirmish line moved forward they soon found the
rebels and the firing was lively on both side. Co. H was sent out to support the line and the
men had to keep behind trees to keep out of the way of the bullets. Several of the skirmishers
were struck but no one seriously after firing half an hour the order was given for the skirmish
line to charge the enemies pits which we did with a will driving the Rebs out and taking a
number prisoners were never stopped but kept on yelling like time until we drove them inside
of their main works we then waited until the brigade camp up, then the order was given to
charge and carry their works. We were on one side of a ravine and the enemy on the opposite
side the trees had all been felled so that it was hard work to get up through the ravine run a
brook and the ground was swampy but our boys went on down the steep bank of the ravine
and up the other side, and drove the rebels out of their works on the right side but we could
not get them out on the left side. Co. H was on the left of the pits. On the right of the ravine a
brigade moved out and charged over an open picket into a piece of woods, but they found the
enemy to strong for them and had to retreat back. The Rebs works on the left was so that they
could get a flank fire on us and as soon as they saw that our troops couldn’t take them they
turned their attention to the Regts. on the right and the enemy on the front being reinforced
they threw forward their troops out of the woods and advanced across the open field. Our
boys poured into them volley after volley and mowed them down like grass before a scythe we
drove them back 2 or 3 times and could have kept them back had they not charged down into
the ravine and got on to our flank, they fought like tigers and so did we, we could not give up
when we had drove them so many times. It was a sad scene, never to be forgot to see our boys
falling on every side. The enemy were not more than 5 or 6 boys from our Co. but we would not
fall back without orders, so we stood and kept on loading and firing what there was left of us.
All that Co. H had in the pits was twenty five men. William A. Streeter was shot through the
head and fell dead in the pits I was standing by his side at the time. It made me feel sad to see
him fall for there was not a better young man in the Co. George Clark was shot through the
heart and also fell in the pits. The man that stood on my left hand was shot through the breast
and lived only a few moments. The man that stood back of me was shot in the leg, and the man
on my right after poor Streeter fell was shot through the bowels he lived only a short time. Out
of the 25 boys of our Co, three was killed instantly 2 wounded so they lived but a short time and
four wounded and carried to the hospital, 5 or 6 was knocked down with spent balls. I was
struck on the shoulder with a bullet which made a large hole in my blouse but did not hurt me.
Out of the 8 Attleboro boys that was in our Co when we left camp last Sunday morning every one
of them has been hit with bullets but Albert Dean. When our Lieutenant was reporting to the
Commander of our Regiment he told him he never before saw men stand up and take it so cool
as we did, he said we would have stayed until the last man fell if we had not received orders to
fall back. He said we were the bravest of braves. I never want to be in such a place again for it
was a hard sight to see men falling all around you. When we had orders to withdraw we fell back
just back of the ravine and our troops went to work and threw up entrenchments. We were not
molested during the night nor the next day, but Thursday afternoon the enemy came out and
made two or three charges on some pits of the line. They made one in front of us but we repulsed
them with considerable loss on their side. That night we fell back to a new line where we stayed
until last night when we fell back again and arrived here just at sunrise this morning. The loss in
our Brigade is about 600. It makes me feel sad to look round and see the tents that are empty so
many of our number gone but I will write you more about it another time when I feel like it. My
health is good. I have received several letters from home which I have not answered for want of
time. I have sent you a soldiers memorial of Co. H. it will come by mail from Baltimore as soon as
I am paid off. I will send some money for to frame it. I wish you would look over and see the
changes in Co. H. My box has not arrived yet but I guess I shall get it before long. The Capt. is
going to write to Mrs. Clark. I will send you a list of the men killed wounded in our Co. some of
our best men have given their lives for their country. Give my best love to all the folks. So good
bye for the present, I will write again in a day or two.
From your far distant but loving brother, W. H. Goff
