Museum Quality Americana
This set includes a letter written on rare “Head Quarters, Buck-Tail Regiment” stationary and a 5 by 8 inch photo of the Buck-Tail monument at Gettysburg. The author of the letter written in ink and fully signed is Edward Osborne, who enlisted in August of 1861 as a Private in the 42nd Pa. Regiment, also known as the 13th Reserves. This regiment was composed of woodsmen and hunters and wore a distinctive Buck-Tail in their hats. Osborne was wounded early in the war at Dranesville, Virginia and became a P.O.W. five months after this letter was written (Mechanicsville, Virginia). In this letter, Osborne first writes to his father, then his mother and finally his sister. Some of his writing is very fanatic, but easily read. These two items would make a great pair in a Buck-Tail display! Condition of the letter is excellent and condition of the photo is fine, just slightly on the lighter side.
#L13 – Price $425
Transcription:
HEADQUARTERS,
Buck-Tail Regiment,
Co E
Camp Pierpont, Va
Jan. the 10th, 1862
Dear Father,
It is with pleasure I take my pen in hand to inform you that I am well
and hope this will find you the same. I received your letter of Jan. the
3rd and was glad to hear that the money that I sent got through safe.
We are going to get our pay today or tomorrow. I will send the rest soon
and I want you to take up the note and tear my name off and keep it.
You wrote that I must expect the buckshot and bullets to fly. If you
had been there you would have thought they flew and you wrote that
I must not give the bucktails haven’t been drilled to gig. The weather has
been cold for a week and there has been some snow, but it is warmer
now and there is mud enough to splatter over the fences between the
North and South perfectly smooth. I want you to be sure and answer
this letter as soon as you get this. I must write to the rest now.
Edward Osborn
Dear Mother,
It is with pleasure I write to you to let you know that I am well and hope
these few lines will find you enjoying the same blessing. I want all of you
to be more careful. I have got word that Father opened one or two letters
of Ellen’s, and I expect she did not like it very well and I don’t think any
of you would if you were in her place. If you want to hear from me, write
to me for I answer all letters. This I say to all . You wrote that you have
not seen the boy for three months. I guess you don’t want to see him very
bad or you would before this time. I write to Ellen and all of you the same.
I think if you all try to get along and be friends you can ,and if not, if I
have the luck to get home, I shall move so far that if you do fight you won’t
hurt one another. E.O.
Dear Sister, it is with pleasure I take my pen in hand to write a few lines.
I am well and hope these few lines will find you the same. There is some
hope that Amos Meteger will get a discharge and if he does, you will get
all the news.
Edward
