Beschreibung:

Lot of 119, including 33 letters from soldier brothers William and James Barton (8th Michigan Infantry, both KIA) from the front, almost every letter containing some description of combat; single letter from Private and Engineer Matthew B. Mallory, 21st MI Volunteers, DOW; 2 letters from Jacob Hale, a missionary and soldier in the 21st MI; 26 miscellaneous family letters and papers; 2 CDVs of James Barton; and an album containing 56 family photographs, many identified. It is hard to fathom the pain a parent feels when losing a child; even more so when a parent loses two. Hiram and Phidelia Melissa Barton unfortunately experienced an unbelievable amount of pain when both of their sons, William and James, died in the Civil War. James and William were two of five Barton children. Their father, Hiram S. Barton, was born in New York on April 12, 1818. He was a laborer and married Phidelia December 6, 1839 in Michigan. They quickly started a family and had William within their first year of marriage. More, including James, soon followed. Being so close in age, one can imagine William and James did everything together. The brothers enlisted on August 15, 1861 and mustered into the same company and regiment, the 8th MI Infantry, Co. H., on September 23, 1861. The year before, James applied for settlement in the swamp lands in Pierson, MI, but abandoned his dreams to fight for his country. His father went to his home to retrieve what little belongings he had to help the family. I wish I had more for him, wrote James to his family (Washington, DC, 1861). Two months into his enlistment, James was ready for battle. He wrote, We here that the enemy are going to whip us they will have a nice time if they do for we are fortifying and building a fort that they won't take right away (Fort Walker, Hilton Head, SC, November 20, 1861). James received the fight he wanted, and the fortifications helped combat encroaching rebel forces. Over the next few months, the coast was a hotbed of action. Troops barely had enough time to bury the dead. James wrote to his family: There has been a battle about 17 miles from here. Our navy made an atact a fort called philasci (Pulaski) on the twenty 7 and 8 we took the fort after 2 days struggle. We lost our gunboat that was sunk and badly maimed. The killed and wounded could not be numbered on either side. Since we took this fort they found a pit in the found 25 dead bodies in that the rebels had burned thy had not got time to get them away (Fort Walker, Hilton Head, SC, December 1, 1861). James continued to write his family of the many battles he and William fought in the Carolinas: We had a battle on James River we landed we had about four thousand men the fire of one of the gunboats the rebels was thrown back 4 times one our regiment had orders to march up before the enemy. The enemy was in the woods. We drove them from the river shore…we took a fort and eighteen gun our regiment marched up before the rebels when they opened fire on us we bagan to fire on them the fight lasted nearly two hours and the rebels retreated about two miles back into the woods. The gunboats there shells into the woods and killed a great many. We only one man and 6 wounded but most fatal our major was wounded in the fight a negro that came from the main land and said we killed nearly 500 rebels the rebels came in the night with the flag of truce and wanted 10 hours to carry off their dead. Our general gave them one hour. They carryed off the dead by the cartloads we feel well since the battle that we come off as well as we did and hope to have another (Fort Walker, Hilton Head, SC, January 6, 1862). Some of James’ officers were less eager for battle, especially cowardly Captain Turner. [While] bombarding Fort Walker [Turner] was so frightened him so he sh*t his britches…no fooling about it, reported James (January 26, 1862). Turner resigned from the position for cowardice and Doyle took his commission. Turner’s reaction is more under