Buntly, G. W. (fl. 1862-1864) to William Buntly
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04190.07 Author/Creator: Buntly, G. W. (fl. 1862-1864) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 11 April 1863 Pagination: Order a Copy
Predicts a battle soon with fleet of Admiral Farragut.
[Partial]
To: Brother William and Family Port Hudson, La.
From: G. W. Buntly Apr. 11, 1863
We are expecting a fight here tonight for General Faragut sent a courier from his fleet above this place to the fleet below for them to open on us on the lower batteries and keep them engaged while the upper boats could pass by our batteries though as luck would have it we caught the courier and the orders did not reach the lower batteries so it is uncertain whether he (Faragut) will try to pass for he has already been firing a signal and have not been answered, it is thought that if he does not try to pass tonight he will soon for he is hemmed where he is and is though that he will have to pass or surrender, he has a fleet of three vessels and if he tries to pass I think they will meet a sad fate for we have about 115 or 120 guns on the bank of the river every night and I think that some of the fleet if not all will be riddled if they ever try to pass. We waited patiently all night for the fleet to come but it did not make its appearance, the case is I think because the courier did not deliver his orders to the lower fleet so all is quiet yet it is reported that all the conscripts has to report at McMinville once every 2 or 3 weeks and that they are putting several in the service that got discharged at the first.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.