1865 - Letter from a White Officer assigned to the African-American 25th Corps

Description

1865 - Letter from a White Officer assigned to the African-American 25th Corps
1865 - Letter from a White Officer assigned to the African-American 25th Corps
Click image to enlarge
Description
1865 - Letter from a White Officer assigned to the African-American 25th Corps
A LOVE LETTER FROM A WHITE OFFICER ASSIGNED TO THE ALL-AFRICAN-AMERICAN 25TH CORPS AS IT SAILED ON BOARD THE SHIP
EUTERPE
TO NORTH CAROLINA TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SECOND ASSAULT ON FORT FISHER: Four-page letter from Lt. J. R. Goodard to his sweetheart.  On board the
Euterpe
: January 5, 1865. Lightly soiled with some doodling at the upper corner of the first page.
In this letter, Goddard expresses heartfelt sorrow to “Eva” that he would not be able to take leave for a visit. The reason he explains as follows:
“We landed from our Williamsburg expedition on New
Years
day and went into camp. I immediately made application for a leave of absence but before it could get through the proper channels we were ordered to reimbark for a second expedition so I shall have to wait a while longer. It is supposed that our destination is Wilmington again and I hope this time with better success than before. It is very probable that some weeks may elapse ere I have an
opertunity
to send you another letter. Meantime you may hear of hard fighting but do not enable yourself unhappy by worrying yourself about me. Remember that there are not one fourth so many killed in battle as is
general
supposed. If it
be
my fate to fall it is my desire that you should be happy remembering that our ‘father in heaven’ doeth all things well.”
Goddard was one of the white officers that led the 30th U.S. Colored Infantry, which was part of the then recently assembled all African-American 25th Corps that had been formed the month before. Its first intended engagement was to be an assault on Fort Fisher at Wilmington, North Carolina. The notoriously incompetent political general, Benjamin Butler, commanded that expedition in late
December,
but abandoned the assault shortly after it began on Christmas Day. Following the fiasco, the troops returned to Fort Monroe and Butler was relieved of command. Three weeks later in mid-January, General Alfred Terry led a second attack on the fort that was successful, sealing off the last Confederate port open to global trade.
The
Euterpe
was a commercial clipper used as a transport toward the end of the war. It had previously been used by the U. S. Sanitary Commission as a hospital ship and spent most of
1862-1863
at anchor in Hampton Bay as a receiving vessel.
Quite scarce; correspondence from the all African-American 25th Corps, which wasn’t organized until very late in the war, is seldom found.
#8922
View My Other Items For Sale
Payment
PayPal is preferred for both US and international payments.
Other methods of payment may be possible.
Shipping
Domestic Shipping.
Most orders are shipped to locations in the US at no additional cost. If not, shipping costs are set at a flat rate on an item-by-item basis.
Media mail shipping--when available and appropriate--is inexpensive but may take between two and four weeks, especially if delivery is to the west coast. If a quick delivery is important to you, please request USPS Priority Mail or some other expedited delivery service before paying.
International Shipping. International shipping is usually done through the eBay Global Shipping Program.  I know that this can be expensive, but I've switched to this method because I've had too many claims of non-receipt by international buyers.  If you contact me in advance of purchase it may be possible for me to ship directly to you.
If I ship directly, I will only ship overseas using a trackable method; this can be expensive, and it is non-negotiable.  Also, I will only enter true information on customs forms; if you  have a problem paying your nation's customs fees, that is beteen you and your government, I have nothing to do with it.
If you pay by PayPal, I will only ship to the shipping address specified by PayPal.
All shipments are covered by my business insurance at my expense, however if you would like to purchase additional USPS insurance at your expense, let me know, and I'll adjust your invoice accordingly.
Terms of Sale
Please don't assume anything that is not specifically stated or shown on this listing page.  Ask any questions before you bid or make an offer.
If you win this item, you are legally bound to complete the purchase.
Unless specifically indicated otherwise in the page, returns will be accepted for full refund less shipping for any reason if the item is returned to me within 30 days in the same condition as it was sent.
Buyers are responsible for paying all return postage costs.
About Us
This is a Read'Em Again Books sale. Read'Em Again books is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the Ephemera Society, the Manuscript Society, the American Philatelic Society (APS), the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, and the Military Postal History Society (MPHS).
We hope that you'll take some time to visit both our eBay store and our larger Read'Em Again Books on-line bookstore. We think that you'll find our prices to be very competitive with other internet book sellers. In addition to a nice selection of Americana, diaries, journals, photograph albums, and other unique personal narratives, we also maintain a small stock of children's books, illustrated books, unusual non-fiction as well as ephemera, philatelic items, prints, sheet music, maps, and occassionally postcards, antique toys & games, tobacciana, and breweriana.
View My Other Items For Sale
Get Images that
Make Supersized Seem Small.
Showcase your items with Auctiva's
Listing Templates!
THE simple solution for eBay sellers.