Van Brunt, Ralph (fl. 1865-1895) to Charles Chapman Grafton
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC08895.04 Author/Creator: Van Brunt, Ralph (fl. 1865-1895) Place Written: Minnehaha County, Minnesota Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 23 September 1895 Pagination: 4 p. ; 28 x 22 cm. Order a Copy
Van Brunt recalls events of the Civil War Battle of Averasborough. Discusses the 16 March 1865 death of Captain James Ingersoll Grafton, Charles's brother. Discusses the battle in detail, mentioning Generals William T. Sherman, Joseph E. Johnston (spelled Johnson), and Hugh Judson Kilpatrick. Relates "We went into Camp at night at an Old Church, the grave yard of which offered the only high ground in one of the hardest rain storms I ever knew and lay down to sleep, among the graves very tired and wet to the bone. In two or three hours we were ordered to support the Cavalry... the enemy had passed over the road with their artillery and trains and it was bottomless, the darkness was intense, and we floundered along the men sinking in the mud holes..." Writes that James was mortally wounded an hour after firing commenced. Van Brunt and Adjutant Fox saw James staggering toward them during the battle, and caught him before he fell, calling for a surgeon. Writes on Minneapolis Soldiers' Home stationery.
Charles C. Grafton was appointed Bishop of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in 1888.
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