Civil War Auction
Lot 1043:
Description
The following collection has been handed down through and comes directly from the Sprague family and is being offered here at auction for the first time. An exceptional story and personal items that belonged to George Sprague, who died from his wounds suffered at the Battle of Gettysburg at aged 27. He was born in Grafton, Mass. and was a shoemaker by trade. He was mustered into service at Fort Independence near Boston as a Pvt in Company K, 13th Massachusetts Volunteers on July 16, 1861. Company K participated in Harper’s Ferry Battle of Bolivar Heights, and the battles of Cedar Mountain, 2nd of Bull Run, south Mountain, Antietam, Fredricksburg, and Gettysburg. Sprague noted in his diary on July 1st “Started for Gettysburg. Met the enemy and engaged them” He was wounded on July 1st near Oak Ridge, noting in his diary “Was wounded in two places. Through breast and shot through arm.” On July 2nd he notes in his diary, “Still on battlefield. Our wounds not treated.” He lay on the battlefield until July 4th when Lee’s Army retreated. He was given a written battlefield pardon by the Confederate States Forces on July 4th 1863. It is signed by Thomas S. Tur—, 1st Lieut. Randolph’s Co. Cavalry. After Lee’s retreat he was taken to Christ’s Church which was being used as a hospital. He died there on July 15th 1863. Originally buried at Gettysburg, he was re interred to his home in Grafton, Massachusetts.
The artifacts in this lot include:
1) Cased ¼ plate tintype of Pvt. George Sprague standing in an encampment, grasping his British musket with both hands, chest high. Wearing a brimless (possibly knit) cap, cartridge box slung over his shoulder, and bayonet in scabbard on his side. Behind him is a soldier in the doorway of a pyramid tent looking at the camera. Trees and camp equipment are in the background as well. Image mounted in a Union case in good condition with minor edge chips.
2) Personal diary of George Sprague with oil cloth cover, measures 3-1/4” x 4-3/4”. It is a “Perpetual Diary issued by A. Liebenroth & Von AUW on 25 Beekman Street, New York” for the 1863 calendar year. There are many interesting entries of battles and daily life including April 9th, “Grand review of the 1st Army Corps by President Lincoln on the banks of the Potomac, with the last entry of July 3rd reading, ”Still on battlefield. Our wounds not treated”. The diary is in fair to good shape and measures 3” X 5”.
3) Artifacts sent home by Sprague to his wife Mary including:
– A splinter of wood with a hand written note, “This is a piece of the house where we had our first fight (Sept. 2nd Beller’s Mill?). Keep these things safe for I would not take 10 dollars for them for if Ilive to come back I shall have a good many things to look at.” Note is written on the back of a Adams Express Company, Harper’s Ferry Virginia, shipping label.
– A piece of bronze bell from the Harper’s Ferry Armory with a hand written note on a scrap of an envelope of a letter sent to him by his wife while the 13th Mass was at Sandy Hook. The note from Sprague states, “this is a piece of the Armory Bell that the Rebels Burnt at Harper’s Ferry.” It is solid bronze and measures approx. 1.5” X 1’ X 1”. The men from Co. K were from Westboro Mass. and sent home souvenirs to the town from the battlefields. The October 12th, 1861 Westboro Transcript reports on items recently received from Co. K. One paragraph says that, “Several other articles were sent in the same package, among them 2 or 3 pieces of the bell that hung in Harper’s Ferry armory when it was burnt. Some of Co. K’s boys went over and raised it out of the water in which it laid 3 feet deep, and broke it up to send home.”
– 3 spools of thread with a hand written note, “This thread is some that I took from a Secesh (secessionist) Store in Virginia I thought that you might use it you might keep one spool to have it for us to look at after the war is over”. Note is written on the back of a Adams Express Company, Harper’s Ferry Virginia, shipping label. In the book, Three Years With Company K, written from the diary of Sgt. Austin Stearns, he recalls, “There was a most violent secessionist who kept a drug store at the Ferry, who at all times never failed to show his hatred towards us. His insults were unbearable, so one day we were ordered to the Ferry, proceeding to his store, we commenced to clean it out. We made a clean sweep of everything he had…”.
– A sliver of stone with a hand written note on a scrap of paper, “this is a piece of the bridge that the Rebels burnt to keep our men from crossing”.
– 2 small stones tied to a hand written note card that has a piece broken off and missing that reads, “Keep this stone John Doyle picked it up — battlefield of Getty (sburg) at the point called Bloody Ang(le)”. The reverse says, “—shiny stone is called—-diamond and are found —ax mines in Pa. —value but —-with some—-“. The Bloody Angle was fought at Gettysburg on July 3rd so these stones must have been given to him by a fellow soldier as he lay in the hospital.
– A letter from his wife Mary dated June 11th ,1863. It is not known if he received this – letter before he died. There is an older envelope with it but it is blank.
– Also in the group is a Paw Paw seed and a small piece of possible resin.
4) A printed and signed parole document from the CONFEDERATE STATES FORCES. It has been printed on a press with blanks left to fill in such as the date and place of capture. This parole is made out in hand written ink to, Private Geo. E. Sprague Co. K 13th Mass Regiment, and states that he is a Prisoner of War captured near Gettysburg Pa. and states that he gives his word that he will not take up arms against the Confederate States….. It is signed By Command of Lt Gnl Ewell by B.H. Greene Major A.I.G 2nd Corps (Ewell’s Assistant Inspector General) and witnessed by Thomas C. Turner 1st Lieut. Randolph’s Co Cavalry (Ewell’s Aide de Camp). The folded document measures approx. 8” wide X 5” tall and has been professionally matted and framed.
Other items included with this grouping are:
A cased 1/6 plate tintype of a seated soldier in uniform with a contemporary post it note, “Another (cousin) Sprague from Chicago. No known 1st name.
A poem from George Sprague’s mother to George in reference to a Daguerreotype of her that she had given him (no Dag with collection).
Three 1879 hand written letters from Ebeneezer Sprague (George’s Father) to George’s son Frederick.
Two handwritten notes in different hand writing stating birth and death dates for George.
Other items included in this collection which are being given free of charge to the winning bidder are: internet research papers from the auction house, a copy of the book, Three Years with Company K, and historical information from the 13th Massachusetts website. The winning bidder of this collection will be given the contact information for the family so that they may continue their research.
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