Huge 1st NY Light Artillery letter collection for sale - EBay

[markj]

This vendor hit the motherlode. Check it out, especially the rare handwritten and illustrated camp newspaper:

http://cgi.ebay.com/HUGE-1-Civil-War-Soldier-Journal-Letter-Archive-493-pcs_W0QQitemZ270336042608QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item270336042608&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[FortyRounder]

Re: Huge 1st NY Light Artillery letter collection for sale - EBay

"American Express Company. ... 1 Corpse (Body of Henry Houstater) Care Jno Steele Lockport NY."

What a callous way to treat a fallen Soldier!

With the loss in the War of so many talented, patriotic young men like Henry Houstater, is it any wonder that greed and debauchery were allowed to flourish so openly during the "Gilded Age?"

[markj]

Re: Huge 1st NY Light Artillery letter collection for sale - EBay

Well, this seems callous to our modern sensibilities. However, from what I've seen, people of that time were remarkably--even brutally--direct in their dealings. Can you imagine the descriptions of combat in Civil War newspaper letters appearing the same way in today's MSM? You can't, can you?

To wit, if you were to, say, walk around in public today with your fly open, many folks would most likely avert their eyes and merely whisper to each other. However, back in the 1860's, people (at least the males) would have little or no compunction about walking up and bluntly telling you to "close your barn door."

Regards,

Mark Jaeger