Second Manassas, South Mountain, and Antietam Discussed in Graphic Letter written by 4th Alabama Private Henry S. Figures, KIA Wilderness

Lot 213

About Seller

6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States

With offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Denver, Cowan’s holds over 40 auctions each year, with annual sales exceeding $16M. We reach buyers around the globe, and take pride in our reputation for integrity, customer service and great results. A full-service house, Cowan’s Auctions specializes in Am...Read more

Bid Increments

Price	Bid Increment
$0	$25
$500	$50
$1,000	$100
$2,000	$250
$5,000	$500
$10,000	$1,000
$20,000	$2,500
$50,000	$5,000
$100,000	$10,000

About Auction

American Historical Ephemera & Photography, Including African Americana:Premier Auction by Cowan's Auctions

Live

American Historical Ephemera & Photography, I...

By Cowan's Auctions

Jun 26, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-06-26 10:00:00 2020-06-26 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American Historical Ephemera & Photography, Including African Americana:Premier Auction https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/cowans/american-historical-ephemera-photography-including-african-americana-premier-auction-5208 Cowan's Auctions is delighted to present the June 26 American Historical Ephemera and Photography Auction, including 55 lots devoted to the African American experience, over 175 lots dating from the Civil War Era, and more than 60 lots documenting life in the American West. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com

View Full Catalog (383)

Lot Description

Second Manassas, South Mountain, and Antietam Discussed in Graphic Letter written by 4th Alabama Private Henry S. Figures, KIA Wilderness

Figures, Henry Stokes. (1844-1864). Private, Co. F, 4th Alabama Infantry. 4pp, Martinsburg, Virginia. September 22, 1862. Addressed to his parents, William Bibb and Harriet Figures of Huntsville, Alabama.

Just two months after the organization of the 4th Alabama Infantry, the regiment was engaged in heavy action at the Battle of First Manassas, July 21, 1861. Colonel Egbert Jones, under whom the regiment was organized, died as a result of his wounds, inflicting an early blow to the regimental leadership structure which remained in flux from that point on. After the resignation of Jones' replacement, Major Owen McLemore led the regiment for much of 1862, through early battles including Seven Pines, Gaines' Mill, and Malvern Hill.

Figures's action-packed letter begins with an account of the Battle of Second Manassas, wherein the Confederate forces "whip[ped] Pope," a reference to beleaguered Union commander John Pope (1822-1892). Figures writes that upon the arrival of his regiment, he and his fellow soldiers "charged the battery and took 3 pieces of it..the next day the enemy made the attack & you never seen men run so, as they did. Our men would charge down upon them & they would run like sheep & did not stop until they got to Washington City & there Pope resigned."
Despite their victory, the Confederates suffered heavy losses, including one of Figures's close friends, who was "shot through the heart."

Figures and his regiment were involved in a subsequent engagement at South Mountain, the objective of which was to "hold the enemy in check. . . until we could get our army through on another road." Although this was a comparatively smaller conflict, a "bombshell. . . bursted [sic] right in the middle of our company," injuring many of Figures's comrades and mortally wounding Lieutenant Colonel McLemore. From Boonsboro, Figures advanced on to Sharpstown to "await the approach of the enemy." After two days, the Confederate army crossed the Potomac into Virginia to commence the Battle of Antietam. Figures describes the conflict in explicit detail, writing in part: ". . . at daylight the next morning, Genl. Jackson drove [the enemy] back, killing or drowning almost every one. We took 800 prisoners. . . [Lieutenant] David King. . . had his head shot off by a bombshell, killing him instantly." As a result, the company recently held an election for a new lieutenant, and Figures shares the names of the candidates with his parents, highlighting the young men who may be familiar to them from Huntsville.

The year closed for the 4th Alabama with the Battle of Fredericksburg. Early in 1863, the regiment was transferred to the Alabama Brigade in General James Longstreet’s Corps per Robert E. Lee’s Special Orders No. 19 and took part in Longstreet's driving attack at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863. The regiment saw later action at Chickamauga, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor, and additionally participated in the sieges of Knoxville and Petersburg before their surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Figures, however, was not among his fellow soldiers, having been killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness in May of 1864,

Condition

Areas of foxing, with some rogue ink spots and light toning, particularly at creases.
Shipping Info
- Buyers are required to pay for all packing, shipping and insurance charges. Overseas duty charges are the responsibility of the successful Bidder. Be aware that for larger and/or valuable items, shipping charges can be substantial. - If there is no shipping amount on listed your invoice, you will need to make arrangements to pick up or ship your purchase through an alternative shipping company. Our shipping department can be contacted at 513.871.1670 (ext. 219) or email shipping@cowans.com. - Shipping charges include insurance for your order while in transit. If you have private insurance we will adjust your charge to include only packing and shipping. - Please allow 14 – 21 days after payment to package and ship your purchase as carefully as possible.