Apr 07, 2022 - Sale 2600

Sale 2600 - Lot 89

Price Realized: $ 594
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 400 - $ 600
(CIVIL WAR--OHIO.) Letters of Montgomery County private Andrew Laughlin, including two discussing his death in the service. 8 manuscript letters (4 of them on patriotic letterhead), various sizes, generally minor wear; with 9 worn patriotic covers, most of them addressed and cancelled. Various places, 1862-1863
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Additional Details

Alfred A. Laughlin (circa 1844-1862) lived in Germantown in southwestern Ohio. The earliest letter in this lot is dated 13 January 1862 from two hometown friends who enlisted before Laughlin: James Gunckel and Abiah Z. Hoffman of the 35th Ohio Infantry, then in camp in Kentucky. Gunckel strongly encourages Laughlin to enlist: "If you woud a went with me, I think you woud see more then you wood by staing at home, and wood have plenty to eat and to wear, and plenty of foun in the camp, and git 13 dolers a month, and won't haf to dow enny thing."

Laughlin soon joined the 112th Ohio, which never reached full strength and was merged into the 63rd Ohio Infantry. The lot includes 5 letters he wrote to his parents David and Susan in Germantown from September to December 1862. The last letter, dated 7 December, is from the front near Corinth, MS, where his regiment expected to face off soon against Confederate general Sterling Price: "Sunday we could here the cannon roar all day. There are troops enough around here to eat old Price and all his men. A deserter from Price's army came in here yesterday. He says that the most of the soldiers' time is up, and they won't fight any more."

Laughlin died of dysentery in camp later that month. The lot concludes with two letters from men in his regiment to the grieving parents. Francis Emley tries to give his best account of Laughlin's final days: "He did not appear to suffer much pain and he died very easy. . . . Thank God he died in a glorious cause, that cause was for the old flag, that ower forefathers fought for. . . . Alford was buried very nice, for I helped to dig his grave, and I know that it was don right." The company captain George Wightman followed up in September with advice on securing Laughlin's effects and final pay.