1861 CIVIL WAR ERA SOLDIER LETTER DATELINED HANCOCK MARYLAND

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1861 CIVIL WAR ERA SOLDIER LETTER DATELINED HANCOCK MARYLAND:
$67.66

Up for sale is a vintage letter that's datelined Hancock, Maryland December 5, 1861 and there is a continuation dated December 7.. Letter is of a personal and what's going on around here nature between brothers. Letter is addressed to John Manning Boston, MA. Letter was written by Charles Manning, Company B, 13th Massachusetts Volunteers. I had the letter transcribed by jkpaper27305 and it reads as follows:Hancock, Md.Dec. 5th/61Dear Brother, I received your kind letter yesterday & I will assure you that I was much pleased to hear from you once more & to know that you were all as well as usual. I had almost began to think that you was dead, gone away, or hadforgotten me entirely, however, I think you have a very good excuse for not writing, & so I will say no more about it. You will see by the heading of my letter that we have taken another move since you heard from me last, or at least 4 Companies of us. Taking A, B, E. & H, we started from Williamsport the 26th, about 6 o'clock in the evening. We did not receive the orders until 3 o'clock, so of course did not have much time to pack up & get ready. We did not know where we was going any more than we ever do, altho the boys had a good many places picked out as our destination. We marched 11 miles that night to a place called Clear Spring, where each Co. found a resting place in Hotels, stables, &c. As for our Co., we were put into a stable, where there was plenty of hay to lay on, & after 11 miles march with a 30 pound knapsack on our backs, you may be sure that we were ready to lay down in a stable or most any other place. All were up by daylight the next morning, & looking out for something to eat, & all those that could not get accommodated at the Hotels, got a breakfast at private houses. As for myself, I went with 6 others to a house &got a splendid breakfast, & they would not take a cent. We started again at 9 o'clock, being told now that we were coming here. It began to rain shortly after we started, which made it very hard traveling indeed. After marching 10 miles, we found ourselves in Hancock, & in a short time were shown our Quarters, each Co. by itself. Our Co. is quartered in a new wooden building in a large Hall which is very comfortable & nice. The reason why they put us up here was because there is 10 or 12 hundred of Rebels right over the River in Bath, about 6 miles from here, & they have been trying to scare the folks here in Town & threatening to shell the Town, but they have been pretty still since we came here, altho they fire across the river at our pickets once in a while. Yesterday we had a little fun & at the same time did a big thing. There was about 20 of our Co. & 30 of H. detailed to go across the River (I among the rest), & do a little scouting. Wewent over in one [of] the flat boats that they have here, & as soon as we were over, started off double quick towards some houses that were a short distance from the River. As soon as we had got to them, we deployed as skirmishers, while a portion of us searched the houses & barns, getting a lot of Turkeys & Chickens. Whilewe were at this work, one of our Corporals that was stationed the fartherest up the road saw a carriage coming & thoughthe would stand still & let it come up to him, but the man saw him standing there & turned his horse round & started asfast as his horse would carry him away, but he Corporal called out to him to stop or he would fire & the old cuss looked over the top of the carriage & see that the fellow was taking aim, so he thought it was about time to stop. His name is Swan &is a secesh of the deepest dye. He left his home, which is right across the River from here, some 6 weeks ago, & has been living in Bath, about 6 miles from here, ever since, doing all he could to help along Secession, & a Company that was here before we came here went over to his house several times to get him, but never made out. The weather here is as cold as the devil now, & come to be on Guard in the night, one has to keep moving to keep from freezing. I do not believe that it is anycolder in Boston than it is here. You wrote in your letter, John, that you could tell me a little news from Mother's house if you felt like it. I received a letter from home the other day & of course got all the news, none of which took me a good deal by surprise. You also wrote that Mother did not hardly like it because I wrote to you once in awhile. I should not think that they would be jealous at all, for I write to them oftener than I do to you, & oftener then I get no answer, becauseI thinkthat Mother will want to know how I was getting along. I know that sometimes the letters get miscarried, but that is not my fault. I was very sorry to hear that Mr. Whiton is so sick & hope that he may get better soon, and able to be about ere this reaches you. It must be very hard for you indeed, & I amsure that you are tied up enough when Mr. Whiton is able to be in the store. Page 5thDec. 7th/61We have just got back from a Scout that we took last night, & will give you a little account of it. When we went to bed last night, we were told to place our guns & equipment beside us, for we might be called up during the night. About 3 o'clock, we were routed, & with a part of Co. A, went down to the River & in a few minutes were across, & started off on the road towards Bath. We did not suppose that we were going to Bath, supposing that it was filled up with Rebels, but we kept on without being allowed to speak or make any noise. By daylight we were in the little Town, where everything was as still as tho nobody lived there. We got in front of a large dwelling house & halted, where the Com. (Lieut. Neal) told us to break ranks & get us a breakfast where we see fit. As to there being any Rebels there, we were told as soon as we got in Town that they had left the day before & that they numbered from 10 to 12 hundred. They said that they were all pressed into the service & none of them had a uniform on. They did not know what made them leave Bath, or if they did, would not say so. I, with about a dozen others, started up the Street in search of some breakfast, & on our way run across some geese. The way we went at them poor fowls was a caution to Sinners. We just surrounded the lot & when they broke ranks, we broke their heads. Just as we had shouldered them & starting off, there was an old woman comes out of a house & began blazing away at us for killing her geese, but we just told her to cork up & started on. We got us a nice breakfast at a Secesh house, where the men had all left with the troops the day before, & there was nobody there but the women folks. The town itself looked as tho it was deserted & I guess it was as near deserted as it could be, for they told us that there was only 17 men in Town. About 7 o'clock we started for home & got here at 12 o'clock. We felt paid for our tramp, but should havefelt more so if we could have just had a brush with a few of the cusses. And now John, I think that I have wrote about enough for once, and so I will draw my letter to a close. Please give my love to Hitty & her Mother & tell themthat I am enjoying myself out here, but I would give a good deal to see them all. I suppose that it seems a good while since I went away to Mother & to you all, but I never had time fly so fast to me in my life as it does out here. It does not seem but a day or so since I left the Store & went down to the Fort. With us, we get up in the morning & have our daily duty to perform, & so our time is mostly taken up, while the rest of it is spent in somesport of our own, & with Mother & all our friends at home, they are continually looking forwardfor the time to come when we shall return, but we must be patient, for it maybe a long day yet before I get back, & perhaps never. Please give my love to Mother & all down to her house & tell them that I am quite well. Also remember me to all other enquiring friends, & at the same time do not forget & take a share yourself. Good bye until you hear from me again.Fromyour Brother, Charles W. Manning. P.S. Please write soon & direct your letters to Williamsport & I shall get them direct. N.B. You wrote in your letter that you thought of sending me a box of things. If you send anything, just direct it to Williamsport, the same as the letters, & send by Adams Express. C.W.M. Comes with the transmittal cover that has had the stamp removed...Has some edge tears
. ........paper has edge/corner wear, age staining and has yellowed/toned from time...

$2.00 covers shipping in the USA. Item will be shipped in a rigid cardboard photo mailer or bubble envelope, unless otherwise noted or requested.. $8.00 covers shipping outside the USA ….. International shipping will be in a standard envelope via International First

Class. Other shipping options available, but more expensive. MULTIPLE sale WINNERS: Please wait for me to send an invoice to make sure the shipping charges are correct. . PayPal accepted. Payment must be made in US Dollars and for those who are unsure, Euros are NOT US Dollars. REGULAR ENVELOPE SHIPPING IS AVAILABLE FOR $1.30, for shipping within the USA. Envelopes are shipped with a backing board to help prevent bending from Postal machinery. LARGER AND PERHAPS BETTER QUALITY PICTURES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. JUST EMAIL AND ASK, BUT PLEASE DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST DAY. I do combine shipping