Mar 10, 2011 - Sale 2239

Sale 2239 - Lot 343

Price Realized: $ 4,560
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 3,500 - $ 5,000
BAND OF BLACK BROTHERS (MILITARY--CIVIL WAR.) TRAILL, WILLIAM. Autograph Letter Signed from William Traill to his brother, mentioning their dying brother, and a deceased comrade. Single 4to sheet, folded to form four pages, written on all four sides with a fine pen; the original envelope included, postmarked New Orleans, September 18. Corpus Christi, TX, September 4, 1865
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Additional Details

A moving letter connecting three black volunteer brothers, mentioning other soldiers by name and detailing various hardships of service in the final days of the Civil War. James, gravely ill and presumably unable to write, is in essence given a voice through his brother's letter. A fourth brother, Benjamin Traill had risen to the rank of sergeant major in the 28th USCT, before being killed at the battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864 [nearly half of the 28th was killed or wounded there]. The Traills, evidently well-educated and accomplished, were children of fugitive slave William Traill (Sr), an early Indiana settler. William Traill (Jr) and Leartic Freeman both enlisted on February 20, 1865, shortly after Congress approved the Thirteenth Amendment. At City Point, Virginia and St Mary's, Maryland the 28th was in charge of prisoners from April 6 through May 12, and then on duty at Brazos Santiago and Corpus Christi, Texas until November 1865. In 1899, William authored "A Story of a Slave in Indiana," about his father.

"My Dear Brother, I now take hold of my pen to tell you that am well. . .I hope your health remains good, but I am sorry to have to inform you that James (their brother, USCT 28th Infantry who would die on September 24) is sick and at hospital. He has had a very severe attack of the scurvy which complaint is pervailing with us to an alarming extent [.] He has been at the hospital about 3 weeks and is now very low even past walking about. . . I also got a letter from home at the same time that I got yours [-] it was the first I have heard from home for 2 months [-] all wer in common health and. . .I feel better than common today on account of all the letters. We left Indianola on the 10th of Aug., and got here on the 12th [;] we are some better situated here. . .plenty of water to drink and of a better quality [.] My company has left the camp of the regiment and mooved close up to town to do provost duty. . .we have not had to kill an[y] rebels yet [;] what few remain about here are perfectly sivel [.] There are plenty of rumors that the pay master will be along this week but we always have plenty of good newse but little of it comes to pass. . .I am getting used to doing without money and it don't go so hard as it used to. . .I only hope to get home when my time is out. . .We have received reports from the hospital department that Leuris Freeman (Co. D, 28th USCT) died at Point Lookout on the 2nd of July [.] My letter from home stated that Uncl Tony had got a letter from Aaron which said that he was at hospital yet but was about well. I am informed that our wheat crops at home are very poor [;] mine was entirely worthless. . .I hope you will go home in a short time and find happy greetings on every hand for the soldier of one year's toil certainly deserves a time of happy repose, and I hope to meet you there in about 6 months and then we can tell our sufferings over. I tell you this is an out of the way place [-] I haven't seen a newspaper since I've been in Texas . . . and I know as little about what is going on in the US as I do about what is going on in the moon. I must now close give my compliments and best wishes to James Ferse (James Spears, Co. A, 14th USCT) and Isam Thurmen (Isam Thurman, Co F, 14th USCT) and tell them I hope to meet them on the sunny banks of deliverance. . .Address William Traill/ 28th U.S. Colored Volunteers/ Co I, 25th Corps. . ."