CIVIL WAR LETTER - 30th Massachusetts Infantry - AWESOME LETTER Off Ship Island
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:16399596 |
CIVIL WAR LETTERThis remarkable Civil War letter was written by by 35 year-old John “Milton” Grosvenor Parker (1826-1888), the son of Perley Parker (1796-1864) and Sarah Hill Grosvenor (1799-1886) of Dracut, Middlesex county, Massachusetts.During the Civil War, Milton enlisted as a 1st Lieutenant in the Eastern Bay State, No. 2 Regiment which was being organized in the autumn and early winter of 1861-62. Owing to a difference of opinion between Governor Andrew and Gen. B...utler, for whom the regiment was raised, however, there was a delay in the commissioning of its officers. A compromise was final reached and Milton received his commission on 1 December 1861, the regiment having been accepted into state service as the 30th Massachusetts. Milton was made the Quartermaster of Co. G.The regiment reached Ship Island on 12 February 1862 and landed at New Orleans on 2 May 1862. Milton appears to have resigned his commission prior to that time, however.TRANSCRIPTIONSteamer Henry Lewis
Off Ship Island
Wednesday evening, Feb. 19th 1862My Dear Wife, I am still here, although I finished discharging the Lewis this afternoon, and she has put off into the Stream, but as I had not got my headquarters established, Capt. Jones of the L[ewis] came ashore after me & my clerk, Mr. Hatch, to spend another night with him. I gave him one of the hams that Mother cooked for me before leaving home. It was a great luxury to him and his engineer who have not seen anything but salt beef, pork, & hard bread for 3 months. The Constitution finally got off yesterday about 3 o’clock P.M. & I readily perceive the difference between a comfortable cabin, state room, & high living, and [that of] soldiers fare. I do not object, & have no doubt I shall always get all to eat that is good for me.There has nothing of interest happened here since I wrote you by the C[onstitution], except that last night the New London went out on a cruise and brought in a Rebel Schooner as a prize—the name of it I did not learn. Mr. [A. C.] Van Benthuysen [C. S. Marine Corps] and his crew, who went off last Sunday evening, have not turned up yet, nor any tidings received from them. The St. Jago De Cuba, built to run from New York to Havana, but bought by the U.S. Government, and made into a Gun Boat, arrived this morning from Florida Reefs with Majors Watson & Locke, their clerks, & Mr. Hill, secretary to Col. Butler—also the Mails, which I wrote you from Fortress Monroe, left before we did in the Pensacola, on board; the P[ensacola] having gone ashore on the reefs where they laid a week before the St. Jago came along.The boys of the 26th [Massachusetts] & 9th Connecticut Regiments were glad enough to get their letters & papers, it being more than 3 months since they had heard from home, except through us, & we had no mails. The P[encacola] was not much damaged, but was stuck in the sand, & will have to be pulled off & hauled into some port for repairs.It is very much like an old Bachelors Hall here now, being about 11 o’clock P.M., Capt. Jones & all his crew, except the watch, also Mr. Hatch, having gone to bed, here I am sitting in a [_rish] chair, writing upon a [_rish] table, with a candle for a light, and a most unique candle stick in the shape of an empty bottle.I have been acting on a Board of Inquiry today appointed by Gen. [John Wolcott] Phelps to examine into his damage & cause of damage to goods belonging to the Maine 12th Regiment in care of Qr. Master [Horatio N.] Jose. Lt. Col. Fitz Gibbons of Connecticut 9th, and Q. Master [James] Munroe of 26th Massachusetts Regiments are of the Board, and I am acting as recorder; shall make our report, which I have been writing this evening, tomorrow at 9 o’clock A.M., wherein we shall inform Gen. Phelps that the goods were mainly damaged by or through the negligence of Qr. Master Jose. It is now getting late. I shall write by every transport. One, the Milton, I expect will sail in a day or two. I sent you four letters by the Constitution and a box.Friday Morning, February 21st, ’62.Dear Maria, I have been very much flattered since I closed writing you night before last, and I know it will please you, so I will relate it. I have spoken of my being on a Board of Inquiry of goods belonging to Maine 12th. Being the junior officer of the Board, it became my duty to act as Recorder and make the report. This I considered quite a task, because I was not used to doing the like, & particularly because I was aware that Gen. Phelps required the strictest adherence to Military rules and scholarship. But I made my report last evening, it taking all the afternoon & part of the evening to write it and 3 copies. I called on the Gen. with some misgivings, and presented it. He read it through, 4 sheets of letter paper, and I will give you the exact conversation as it passed between us. “Who made this?” said the General. “I did, General” “Very nicely done, ” says the General. “Thank you.” “Where did you get your form?” says the General. “I made it from the Army Regulations and my own judgment. I trust you will excuse me if it is not right, I do not call myself a military man, and never had anything of the kind to do before.” “Very nicely done, ” says the General, “This will do. What Regiment do you belong to?, ” he enquired.” “The Bay State No. 2, ” says I. “You have done this very nicely, ” and I bade him good evening, feeling ‘very nicely’ flattered, I assure you, for he is one of the smartest Military men in the field. I also read a copy of the Report to Col. Butler, & he said it was as good a paper as he had seen on the Island, clear, concise, and to the point.There was a good deal of excitement on the Island yesterday, owing to the fact that the South Carolina came in with a prize—the Magnolia. She had run the New Orleans Blockade & was trying to get into Mobile. The Brooklyn took after her, the M[agnolia] tried to escape, but ran into the iron jaws of the Carolina, who took her easily, and towed her to moorings yesterday. She has a cargo of cotton. The Engineer of the M[agnolia]— when he found he must be taken—threw 2 barrels of rosin in the fire, intending to blow up the ship, but it only burnt one of the boilers, killing him instantly. He will be brought on the Island today and buried beside of Harry Harding, another seaman, who was of the U. S. Ship Massachusetts & died Sept. 28, 1862 [1861]. A fine wooden slab, painted black with white letters, marks his resting place—the only designated grave on the Island, though the Massachusetts 26th have buried one soldier since they came. On board the Magnolia, a Mobile paper was found, which gives an account of a battle in Kentucky where 10, 000 rebels were taken prisoner, and of an engagement by McClellan on the Potomac, & the evacuation of Manassas. This news inspires the boys, who are aching for a fight. This morning, the New London came in with 10 sloops, or fishing smacks, in tow, which she had taken off the Mississippi coast during yesterday & last night. She looked like a kite with a long tail.I am well as ever & trust I shall remain so, and that you and yours will enjoy the richest of God’s blessings till I return home. I now expect the Kyler will leave this P.M. If not, I shall send this by the Surgeon…he will take it as far as Key West & forward by the earliest opportunity.—MiltonTERMS$3.00 postage in the United States. We accept Paypal.Postage combined for multiple purchases. Please wait for me to send the invoice, otherwise you will pay a higher rate.For International buyers, we utilize eBay’s Global ShippingProgram. We had too many packages sentvia the post office go missing. So webelieve this program will be safer for us and for you.We are members of the American Philatelic Society, the U.S.Philatelic Classics Society, the Confederate Stamp Alliance and the IllinoisPostal History Society.We only sell genuine, original letters (no copies orreproductions). Some of our letters havebeen transcribed and nicely presented for future genealogists and history buffson the Spared & Shared blog.We have been selling on eBay since 1998. BID WITH CONFIDENCE !
00187
Off Ship Island
Wednesday evening, Feb. 19th 1862My Dear Wife, I am still here, although I finished discharging the Lewis this afternoon, and she has put off into the Stream, but as I had not got my headquarters established, Capt. Jones of the L[ewis] came ashore after me & my clerk, Mr. Hatch, to spend another night with him. I gave him one of the hams that Mother cooked for me before leaving home. It was a great luxury to him and his engineer who have not seen anything but salt beef, pork, & hard bread for 3 months. The Constitution finally got off yesterday about 3 o’clock P.M. & I readily perceive the difference between a comfortable cabin, state room, & high living, and [that of] soldiers fare. I do not object, & have no doubt I shall always get all to eat that is good for me.There has nothing of interest happened here since I wrote you by the C[onstitution], except that last night the New London went out on a cruise and brought in a Rebel Schooner as a prize—the name of it I did not learn. Mr. [A. C.] Van Benthuysen [C. S. Marine Corps] and his crew, who went off last Sunday evening, have not turned up yet, nor any tidings received from them. The St. Jago De Cuba, built to run from New York to Havana, but bought by the U.S. Government, and made into a Gun Boat, arrived this morning from Florida Reefs with Majors Watson & Locke, their clerks, & Mr. Hill, secretary to Col. Butler—also the Mails, which I wrote you from Fortress Monroe, left before we did in the Pensacola, on board; the P[ensacola] having gone ashore on the reefs where they laid a week before the St. Jago came along.The boys of the 26th [Massachusetts] & 9th Connecticut Regiments were glad enough to get their letters & papers, it being more than 3 months since they had heard from home, except through us, & we had no mails. The P[encacola] was not much damaged, but was stuck in the sand, & will have to be pulled off & hauled into some port for repairs.It is very much like an old Bachelors Hall here now, being about 11 o’clock P.M., Capt. Jones & all his crew, except the watch, also Mr. Hatch, having gone to bed, here I am sitting in a [_rish] chair, writing upon a [_rish] table, with a candle for a light, and a most unique candle stick in the shape of an empty bottle.I have been acting on a Board of Inquiry today appointed by Gen. [John Wolcott] Phelps to examine into his damage & cause of damage to goods belonging to the Maine 12th Regiment in care of Qr. Master [Horatio N.] Jose. Lt. Col. Fitz Gibbons of Connecticut 9th, and Q. Master [James] Munroe of 26th Massachusetts Regiments are of the Board, and I am acting as recorder; shall make our report, which I have been writing this evening, tomorrow at 9 o’clock A.M., wherein we shall inform Gen. Phelps that the goods were mainly damaged by or through the negligence of Qr. Master Jose. It is now getting late. I shall write by every transport. One, the Milton, I expect will sail in a day or two. I sent you four letters by the Constitution and a box.Friday Morning, February 21st, ’62.Dear Maria, I have been very much flattered since I closed writing you night before last, and I know it will please you, so I will relate it. I have spoken of my being on a Board of Inquiry of goods belonging to Maine 12th. Being the junior officer of the Board, it became my duty to act as Recorder and make the report. This I considered quite a task, because I was not used to doing the like, & particularly because I was aware that Gen. Phelps required the strictest adherence to Military rules and scholarship. But I made my report last evening, it taking all the afternoon & part of the evening to write it and 3 copies. I called on the Gen. with some misgivings, and presented it. He read it through, 4 sheets of letter paper, and I will give you the exact conversation as it passed between us. “Who made this?” said the General. “I did, General” “Very nicely done, ” says the General. “Thank you.” “Where did you get your form?” says the General. “I made it from the Army Regulations and my own judgment. I trust you will excuse me if it is not right, I do not call myself a military man, and never had anything of the kind to do before.” “Very nicely done, ” says the General, “This will do. What Regiment do you belong to?, ” he enquired.” “The Bay State No. 2, ” says I. “You have done this very nicely, ” and I bade him good evening, feeling ‘very nicely’ flattered, I assure you, for he is one of the smartest Military men in the field. I also read a copy of the Report to Col. Butler, & he said it was as good a paper as he had seen on the Island, clear, concise, and to the point.There was a good deal of excitement on the Island yesterday, owing to the fact that the South Carolina came in with a prize—the Magnolia. She had run the New Orleans Blockade & was trying to get into Mobile. The Brooklyn took after her, the M[agnolia] tried to escape, but ran into the iron jaws of the Carolina, who took her easily, and towed her to moorings yesterday. She has a cargo of cotton. The Engineer of the M[agnolia]— when he found he must be taken—threw 2 barrels of rosin in the fire, intending to blow up the ship, but it only burnt one of the boilers, killing him instantly. He will be brought on the Island today and buried beside of Harry Harding, another seaman, who was of the U. S. Ship Massachusetts & died Sept. 28, 1862 [1861]. A fine wooden slab, painted black with white letters, marks his resting place—the only designated grave on the Island, though the Massachusetts 26th have buried one soldier since they came. On board the Magnolia, a Mobile paper was found, which gives an account of a battle in Kentucky where 10, 000 rebels were taken prisoner, and of an engagement by McClellan on the Potomac, & the evacuation of Manassas. This news inspires the boys, who are aching for a fight. This morning, the New London came in with 10 sloops, or fishing smacks, in tow, which she had taken off the Mississippi coast during yesterday & last night. She looked like a kite with a long tail.I am well as ever & trust I shall remain so, and that you and yours will enjoy the richest of God’s blessings till I return home. I now expect the Kyler will leave this P.M. If not, I shall send this by the Surgeon…he will take it as far as Key West & forward by the earliest opportunity.—MiltonTERMS$3.00 postage in the United States. We accept Paypal.Postage combined for multiple purchases. Please wait for me to send the invoice, otherwise you will pay a higher rate.For International buyers, we utilize eBay’s Global ShippingProgram. We had too many packages sentvia the post office go missing. So webelieve this program will be safer for us and for you.We are members of the American Philatelic Society, the U.S.Philatelic Classics Society, the Confederate Stamp Alliance and the IllinoisPostal History Society.We only sell genuine, original letters (no copies orreproductions). Some of our letters havebeen transcribed and nicely presented for future genealogists and history buffson the Spared & Shared blog.We have been selling on eBay since 1998. BID WITH CONFIDENCE !
00187
