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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC08913.12 |
| From Archive Folder | Letters from Grove Bell |
| Title | Grove L. Bell to friends at home discussing casualties his regiment sustained at the Battle of Gettysburg |
| Date | 6 July 1863 |
| Author | Bell, Grove L. (1844-1863) |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Apologizes for not having written sooner, but has not slept well in days and has not had time to write on account of the battle. Does not think that the Confederates will be returning to Pennsylvania anytime soon after the results of the battle at Gettysburg. Says the regiment was "lucky" not to lose more men in the battle. Casualties were 6 killed and "23 or 30" wounded, which was "a very high loss for the time we were under fire." Had a piece of shell strike "within… inches of my leg" while lying prone. Comments that members of his own company named B. [Sifson] and Sandy [Gib] were badly wounded. Another of his comrades was hit in the eye with buckshot and will likely lose that eye. Wishes the recipient could have seen the carnage of the battleground. He "never saw such a sight." Remembers a tree that he saw destroyed when it was hit by something, presumably a shell, during the battle. There have been celebrations of the victory at Gettysburg; thinks "everything is in our favor." |
| Subjects | Civil War Military History Soldier's Letter Union Soldier's Letter Union Forces Battle Battle of Gettysburg Injury or Wound Death |
| People | Bell, Grove L. (1844-1863) |
| Place written | Littlestown, Pennsylvania |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Health & Medicine |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Private Bell enlisted in the 20th Connecticut Infantry on August 4, 1862. He was mustered into D Company. In 1862 and 1863 the 20th Connecticut fought as part of the Army of the Potomac and saw action in Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. Although Bell survived extensive action in both these battles, he died on December 4, 1863. Highlights of the collection include a letter describing his action in the battle of Gettysburg, including a harrowing experience where a shell landed within inches of his leg and descriptions of some of the wounds his comrades suffered. The letters also include Bell's doubts about the course of the war: "There [are] a few big men with scraps on their shoulders that are making all of the money. They are the ones keeping this war going." |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |
| Civil War: Recipient Relationship | Friend |
| Civil War: Theater of War | Main Eastern Theater |
| Civil War: Unit | 20th Connecticut Infantry |