1863 Union Soldier Letter After Gettysburg

Significant four-page Civil War letter dated July 8, 1863 from Loudon, Pennsylvania. Based on research into the names and locations mentioned, this appears to be the firsthand account of George Williams, a musician in Company B of the 123rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a regiment that had suffered heavily at the Second Battle of Winchester only weeks earlier. Written just five days after Gettysburg and four days after the surrender of Vicksburg, Williams reports, "Vicksburg has fallen," discusses Meade replacing Hooker, Lee's retreating army, Union efforts to intercept Confederate forces, and comrades who were wounded, captured or missing. The mixture of accurate news and battlefield rumor provides a fascinating firsthand view of what Union soldiers were hearing while the Gettysburg Campaign was still unfolding. The timing is particularly significant. The simultaneous Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg marked a major turning point in the war, while Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was still attempting to escape across the Potomac when this letter was written. The 123rd Ohio had been caught in the Confederate advance through the Shenandoah Valley at Winchester and subsequently regrouped in Pennsylvania, placing the apparent author and his comrades directly within the larger Gettysburg Campaign described in the letter. Accompanied by a typed transcription. Estimate $300 - $600

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