Civil War-dated unsigned handwritten letter by Pvt. Henry G. Hoyer, Co. E, 46th Penn. Vols., two pages both sides, 5 x 8, October 10, 1862. Letter to his sister, written from "Camp near Sharpsburg" following the Battle of Antietam. In part: "We have been moving about so much within the last two months… we traveled over a good part of Virginia and Maryland and have had two hard fights and are now resting after the terrible battle… on the hills which surround Sharpsburg…we met the hosts of the 'traitors,' completely routed and drove them from the soil of Maryland…we lost a great many men but our loss could not be compared to that of the enemy. They must have lost three to our one. I walked over the field after the fight. The sight was terrible beyond description. The dead laying all over the field and in some places piled up three and four deep. Men, horses, wagons, guns, provisions, blankets, clothes and everything that goes to make up an army scattered in all directions. The 'Rebs' had sent in a flag of truce to bury their dead but instead of doing so took advantage of the favor [and] slipped over the River (Potomac). Their dead were all left on the field. What a terrible scourge war is to any country…ours is realizing it now…we are expecting another great battle in a few days." In good to very good condition, with overall staining and partial splits to folds. Accompanied by an unrelated mailing envelope addressed by Hoyer to "Mrs. Henry Hoyer" in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
