^Lot 5254 GROUP OF 40 WARTIME LETTERS OF 14TH NY SOLDIER

KILLED AT GAINES MILL JUNE 27, 1862. 18 year old David Beard, Jr was well educated and wrote 40 detailed letters home from April 26, 1861 to May 22, 1862. His last letter was 14 pages written over 2 days detailing his hard march of 4 miles to within 15 miles of Richmond. He would be killed June 27 at Battle of Gaines Mill along with 10 comrades. 2 detailed letters written by a friend in his company and by his lieutenant detail the events of his death to his father. "… We formed a line of battle and lay down till about 5:00 in the afternoon. Then we were ordered forward to engage the enemy. 3 times we drove them back from our lines and we thought we had won the day without losing a man, but that was a sad mistake, they came back back again 3 to our 1, at the first time your son was shot, the bullet struck him in the lower part of his bowels. The only words he spoke was O Im shot and fell. Some of the men picked him up and carried him a short ways to the rear but had to leave him behind. There is no hope of getting his body. As there is no tellin wat they did with it…..". UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: small research file. CONDITION: good overall, letters range from fair to fine, several on patriotic stationery and 16 covers, most patriotic. Each letter in protective sleeve, there are a few partial letters in addition. PROVENANCE: Dr. Reggie Van Driest collection. (02-27147-7/JS). $2,000-3,000.