47052: William W. H. Davis, 104th Pennsylvania Voluntee

William W. H. Davis, 104th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Archive of Letters. A group of twenty letters, accompanied by approximately seven cartes de visite, lithographs, and other documents. The letters contained are correspondences to and from Davis, both during and after the Civil War. William Watts Hart Davis (1820-1910) had worked as a lawyer prior to the war. He enlisted at the age of 40 as a Captain and was commissioned into Company I, 25th Pennsylvania Infantry on April 28, 1861. He was transferred and commissioned into the Field & Staff of the 104th Pennsylvania Infantry in September of the same year. Through his service with the 104th PA he was wounded at the Battle of Fair Oaks and again at John's Island. He rose through the ranks and was ultimately promoted to Brigadier General on March 13, 1865. He survived the war and settled in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where he died on December 26, 1910. A sampling of the letters in the archive can be found below: William W. H. Davis Autograph Letter Signed. One page, 7.75" x 9.75", Gloucester Ft., Virginia; September 29, 1862. Addressed to General Harvey Brown, it reads in part: "David D. Prosser, a private in my regiment, having recovered from him illness at David's Island hospital, is retained there on duty, contrary to an order from the War Department upon this subject. I therefore have to request that you will order him forward to his regiment, where his services are needed I address you personally of the [illegible] that I don't know the name of your Adjutant General." General Brown replied on verso, dated October 2: "I am not aware of any order of the Sec'y of War on the subject & know nothing of this case – attendants at the hospital are necessary & if this man is so detained it is probably caused by the necessity of the service & by such is by my authority." Col. William L. M. Burger Autograph Letter Signed. Four pages of a bifolium, 5" x 8", Hilton Head, South Carolina; February 7, 1865. Addressed to Davis while serving as a Colonel: "Can I do anything for you in the way of sending you Gen. Orders, for information, if so let me know and I will furnish you with copies with pleasure. Gen Sherman has left, with his entire Army, he is marching through South Carolina, and I do not believe his troops will leave a single thing behind them, not even a tree; it is generally understood that they are to devastate the entire country. That suits me exactly. I want to see that state lain in waste..." J.P. Schindel Autograph Letter Signed. One page, 5" x 8", Battery Barracks, New York; March 12, 1865. Addressed to Colonel Davis, regarding the end of the war and their friendship: "Musing over the events of the last four years, my thoughts recurred very naturally to my connection with the 104th, and the kindness you always manifested toward me. This will account for my enclosing my photograph to replace the one I sent Mrs. Davis, last winter. Remember me to Mrs. Davis and Col. Mill and lady...We expect to reform the Army of the Potomac, shortly." Josiah Price Autograph Letter Signed. Four pages of a bifolium, 5" x 8", Philadelphia; August 4, 1883. Addressed to General W. W. H. Davis, regarding a visit to Davis' home: "After parting with you at the Depot on Thursday evening, General Pennysacker expressed himself so much delighted with his visit to you, that I cannot delay conveying to you our sense of enjoyment of the day spent in your most hospitable home. We have never before had the privilege of examining such a rare collection of most interesting and valuable letters, papers, pictures of National Celebrities, Presidents, statesmen & officers of the three important wars of our country, &c. than your Library is stored with. It would require weeks, instead of the few hours at our command to get more than a surface view of it all, and we cherish the hope of having at some future time another opportunity of getting to know more of your most elaborate and important contributions toward preserving the words and the memories of your life and services..." As mentioned the archive also includes additional photographs, lithographs, and documents relating to Davis' service and those he served with during the war. Condition: Flattened mailed folds, with light toning and soiling. Mounting residue on some letters. A few of the photographs and letters have been mounted to larger sheets, with some creasing in places. Pencil notations on some letters, and some with adhesive residue. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved