(CIVIL WAR--VERMONT.) Pair of illustrated letters by Captain John S. Tyler, and 5 related photographs. 7 items in one folder (2 Autograph Letters Signed and 5 photographs), plus related transcripts and provenance material; minor to moderate wear. Various places, 1862 and undated One of these letters and two of the photographs provide detailed information on the 16 April 1862 Battle of Lee's Mills, part of the Siege of Yorktown in which the Vermont Brigade played an important and controversial role.
John Steele Tyler (1843-1864) of Brattleboro, VT was a captain in the 2nd Vermont Infantry, part of the famed Vermont Brigade which suffered more casualties than any other during the war. The first of these letters is addressed to an uncle (Allen Danvers Brown, 1843-1909?). He recounts the recent Battle of Lee's Mills: "Firing continued thro' the forenoon until about 12. The enemy's guns appeared to be silenced. About this time McClellan rode up and after talking some minutes with Gen'l [Baldy] Smith, sat down beside our reg't and ate his dinner. . . . A decided demonstration was made against the Rebel fort." His small drawing of the afternoon's battlefield (illustrated) is part of the letter. "Our reg't, returning with our knapsacks, crossed under a heavy fire from the Rebels, from the right of the plain, past the ruins of a house, to their position marked on the left. In the woods in front of us were the 6th & 3d. Two companies of the latter crossed the brook and got into the Rebel rifle pits, but were driven back by overwhelming odds. . . . The 4 batterys of our division took the position indicated, and with their 24 pieces opened a tremendous fire. This was one of the most exciting scenes I ever witnessed." The rebel artillery was unable to operate because of Union sharpshooters: "The minute a man shows himself at the gun, a hundred bullets are showered at him by the pickets. They make their Negroes go up and load their cannon. This we can see plainly." Camp near Warwick River, VA, 19 April 1862.
The second letter is addressed to Tyler's grandmother Mary Hunt Palmer Tyler (1775-1866). "The Rebs greatly outnumber us, and to rush headlong upon their formidable works would be perfect madness. Our men and the Rebels . . . have, independent of the officers, agreed to have no firing at each other. Consequently, both sides stand out in plain sight, no doubt longing for a social chat, but the orders won't allow it. Gen'l Toombs' Georgia Brigade lies in front of us." A small map is appended. He also mentions a notable Vermont sculptor who was working as a Harper's Weekly correspondent: "Larkin Mead leaves for home this p.m., but as he stops in N. York a short time, I forward this by mail."
Included with the lot are 5 Civil War photographs of more than usual interest. One, a 4 x 5¼-inch unmounted albumen by George Henry Houghton, is described in the 19 April letter: "I send you a picture taken by Houghton of our mess at dinner, showing you the style in which we live. At your left is Capt. Eaton, on his left Lt. Ballou, next Capt. Tracey, next Lt. Bliss, in front your most ob't serv't. This is the way we have when we only remain a day or two in a place." Another 6¼ x 8½-inch unmounted albumen shows troops crossing the dam which was at the center of fighting at Lee's Mills, as described in the 19 April letter. It is captioned on verso: "Vermont Brigade entering Rebel works at Yorktown. The left is the scene of the action of the 16th April, and where the 3d Vt. crossed the stream with such heavy loss."
Two other unmounted albumen photographs are of detailed drawings by the Harper's artist Larkin Mead. One, 3¾ x 6 inches, shows "The Vermont soldiers inspecting the Lincoln gun at Fortress Monroe, March 24th 1862." The other, 4½ x 11 inches (chipped on top edge), shows the Battle of Lee's Mills described in the 19 April letter. It is captioned in the negative "Engagement at Garrow's Farm. Attack upon the Rebel works by the Vermont boys." On verso it is captioned "Battle of Lee's Mills by Mead. 4th Vermont in front. 2d on extreme right, in rear of woods. Very accurate." The final photograph is an uncaptioned early copy print of a uniformed Union soldier, 8½ x 6½ inches, likely John Steele Tyler. Captain Tyler died in May 1864 of wounds suffered at the Battle of the Wilderness.
Provenance: Exhibited at the Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro, VT in 1986, and at the Vermont Historical Society in 1987, when it was the property of a granddaughter of Allen Danvers Brown; thence by descent to the consignor.