This unusual letter was written by Samuel “Frank” Haskell (1839-1922), the son of Jasper Haskell (1805-1874) and Salley Fickett (197901871) of Poland, Androscoggin county, Maine. Frank was wounded in the right arm on 16 June 1864 in the opening assault on Petersburg while serving as a sergeant in Co. C, 17th Maine Infantry. His wound was so severe that it required the amputation of his arm and resulted in his discharge on 15 December 1864.

We learn from Frank’s letter that he first enlisted in Co. K, 5th Maine Infantry. He was mustered into that regiment on 24 June 1861 and was taken a prisoner in the Battle of Bull Run on 21 July. His military record states that he was confined at Richmond, Va, and Charleston, S. C. before being released sometime in mid-February 1862.

Frank’s letter provides us with a description of his attempt to escape Libby Prison in the fall of 1861, which was successful, but he was recaptured just before making it back to Union lines.

Frank wrote the letter to William Oland Bourne (1819-1901), editor of The Soldier’s Friend, who sponsored a contest in 1865-1866 in which Union soldiers and sailors who lost their right arms by disability or amputation during the Civil War were invited to submit samples of their penmanship using their left hands. The contest, which awarded a total of $1,000 in prizes for the winning entries, was followed in 1867 by a second contest, which awarded $500 in prizes. A very large number of letters were submitted to Bourne which are now housed in the Library of Congress along with some photographs on the contestants. Most likely the following letter was a personal copy (or first draft) of the letter than Frank submitted. Unfortunately Frank’s picture is not among those in the Library of Congress. See Wm. Oland Bourne Papers.

[Note: This letter is from the personal collection of Greg Herr and was transcribed and published on Spared & shared by express consent.]

Transcription

Augusta, Maine
September 25th 1865

Mr. Bourne,

Dear sir, I saw in “The Soldier’s Friend” your offer of $200 premium for the best specimen of left hand penmanship written by a disabled soldier and as I am one of the number who have lost their right arm in behalf of “Our Country” have concluded to enter the list as a competitor for the prize.

My first experience was in the Fifth Maine Regiment which left the State on or about the 20th of June 1865 [1861] and on the 21st of July participated in the first battle of “Bull Run” where I was taken prisoner, carried to Richmond, and lodged in “Libby Prison.” After remaining there about two months, I resolved to make an effort for liberty and having once made up my mind I could think of nothing but to make preparation for my escape and journey. I saved a part of my scanty allowance each day and at the expiration of a week had layed by enough together with what some of the boys had given me from their rations to last about three days.

Here a new difficulty presented itself. The room is which I was confined was in the third story of the prison and some means must be adopted to get to the ground. Plan after plan was suggested for the accomplishment of this object but they were all given up as hopeless and I began to think my project must be abandoned when all at once a happy thought strikes me. I have one confidential friend to whom I have told all and he rejoiced in the possession of a blanket. If he would give it to me, I was almost sure I could make my escape. Still I did not like to ask him for the nights were cold and I knew he would suffer for the want of it. But the thought of gaining my liberty and being once more a free man soon overcame all such scruples and I went to him and asked him if he would give me his blanket.

He very kindly told me to take it and said he would do anything he could to help me. I took the blanket and as soon as the darkness set in commenced tearing it into strips. In this way I made a rope and a few minutes before 12 o’clock, I made my rope fast to a window and after slinging my haversack on my shoulder and saying goodbye to my friend, I began my descent. I succeeded in reaching the ground in safety and gave the rope a slight jerk which was the signal to draw it up and that all so far had worked well. ¹

I was now outside of the prison but I still had a high fence to climb and outside of this fence the guards were posted. Fortunately for me, however, the night was pitchy dark and the rain falling in torrents. I suppose the guards were all under an old shed that stood near trying to keep out of the rain. At all events, they were no doing their duty and I succeeded in reaching the street without further difficulty. But it would occupy too much space to give all the particulars of my journey so I will only say that after traveling ten days, sleeping in the woods, living on green corn and sometimes a piece of corn bread from a negro cabin, I was recaptured within half a mile of our pickets and taken back to Richmond. A few days after this I was sent to Charleston, S. C. with a lot more of the most unruly and insubordinate of the prisoners (we saw this paragraph in [one] of their papers) for safekeeping. I was at length paroled after spending nearly ten months in prison.

I came home and stopped about two months. At that time the 17th Maine was being organized and feeling that I had not seen quite enough of “the show,” I enlisted in that regiment and was with it until the 16th of June 1864. On that day, while charging a line of the enemy’s works, a minié ball struck my right arm, fracturing the elbow joing so as to cause amputation. While in the 17th, I participated in the following battles—Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Cedars, Mine Run, Locust Grove, Gettysburg, The Wilderness, Coal [Cold] Harbor, North Anna River, Spottsylvania, and number of smaller engagements not worth mentioning. I am at present attending the Augusta Commercial College. I have been here about three weeks. Enclosed please find a sample of my writing written the day I commenced taking lessons at this Institution. My Post Office address is Augusta, Maine.

Very truly yours, — S. Frank Haskell, late Sergt. in Co. C, 17th Maine Regt.

---

¹ Early in the war when the tobacco warehouse was first used as a prison, the windows did not have bars on them.