Just six months after writing this letter, Private Isaac Sperry and the 73^rd Ohio would see action at McDowell, Virginia. From there, they would fight in some of the bloodiest battles of the Eastern and Western Theaters of the Civil War.  Having just enlisted five days prior to writing this letter to his wife, Isaac was waiting to muster into Company G, of the 73^rd at the end of December, 1861.

He talks of general soldierly things, such as setting up camp and the expectation of being away for “a while”.  Tenderly, he calls his children the “sweet creatures” and instructs his wife to tell them their “Pa” will be home soon. He wishes for his wife to not worry about him for he “is not suffering” and wants her to remain in good spirits. He offers words of spiritual encouragement and lovingly signs off as his wife’s “Unworthy Husband”.  On the back of the letter, he cautions “I have not taken time to read this over, there may be some bad mistakes made.”

After being in the field with the Army of Virginia and the Army of the Potomac, the 73^rd had seen their share of tactical defeats and, after Chancellorsville, fielded 338 men at Gettysburg.  38-year-old Isaac deployed on July 1st as part of the key reserve of the army on Cemetery Hill, helping to secure the strategic high ground.  As the 1^st and 11^th US Corps gave way under Confederate pressure, the 73^rd moved as skirmishers to the base of the Cemetery Hill to challenge the enemy’s growing occupation of the town.  From this point until the end of the battle, the 73^rd was involved in near constant skirmishing with rebel sharpshooters, skirmishers, and artillery batteries.  Sometime on July 2^nd, while occupying an area now known as the “Colt Park” neighborhood near the Bliss Farm, Isaac was wounded through the lungs.  He languished at the George Spangler Farm in the charge of the 11^th Corps Field Hospital for two days, dying on July 5^th.  He is buried at gravesite C-12 in the Ohio Plot of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Famously President Nixon’s Great Grandfather served in the same regiment and was mortally wounded in the same vicinity as Isaac.

The letter is written on lined patriotic stationary, with a shield and slogan at the top left corner. The page has been folded in half vertically and into thirds horizontally.  There is some very light separation of the outer horizontal folds measuring roughly 0.25”.  A miniscule tear is noted at bottom center along with a horizontal crease, which is also present on the second leaf in the same spot. The letter is dated December 13^th, 1861 and the penciled content encompasses three pages, with a post script written on the fourth. All writing is legible and sharp. When folded, the letter measures 5” x 8”.

A haunting letter from one of Gettysburg’s honored dead.  A truly rare item for the Civil War ephemera collector.  [cm][ph:L]

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