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The Walt Whitman Archive

Near Sharpsburg Md.
Sept 19th/62

I am still alive and well  Our Regt was engaged on last Sunday for 3 or 4 hours on the Mountains. but our loss was not very heavy  on Tuesday last we were engaged twice and lost heavy  General Reno was killed on Sunday ²    we were in his Division and he thought the world of our Regt  we went into the fight on Sunday afternoon about 5½ O Clock and took the advance and was under a heavy fire until about 9 O Clock when the fireing ceased and we lay down on the field and stayed all night

I cannot write more now as the mail goes  I did not get hit at all

G W Whitman

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About the Text

The text presented here is derived from Jerome M. Loving, ed., The Civil War Letters of George Washington Whitman (Durham, North Carolina: Duke State University Press, 1975). For a detailed description of discrepancies between this electronic edition and the print source, see our statement of editorial policy .

The manuscript of this letter, dated September 19, 1862, is held in the Trent Collection of Walt Whitman Manuscripts, Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.

For more information on the letters of George Washington Whitman, see Jerome M. Loving's introduction to the print edition.

Notes

1.  The letterhead of the stationery used in this letter presents a sketch of a Union Soldier standing at attention and holding a rifle over his left shoulder. Beside him stands the Union banner and behind him is a military camp. The words On Guard are printed beneath. In the letter Whitman speaks briefly of the battles of South Mountain (September 14-15) and Antietam (September 17).  (Back)

2.  General Reno was killed at Fox's Gap in South Mountain (also called Middletown Heights) on September 14, 1862. See Letter from George Washington Whitman to Louisa Van Velsor Whitman, 9 February 1962.  (Back)

Whitman Archive ID

duk.00327