Beschreibung:

Lot of 3, lithograph portrait of Busbey and two letters. Lithograph is 4 x 5.25 in. on 6.25 x 7.75 in. light card stock, GMS '94 in lower right of print. Signed in purple ink in bottom margin. Along side "Daisy Woodworths mother's teacher - Jones - Sev. letters about Civil War" and on back "Grandma Brown School teacher." William Harrison Busbey (1839-1906) was a native of Clarke County, Ohio. He enlisted in the Union Army at Lincoln's first call, in April 1861. He served in the first KY Infantry (enlisting just over the Ohio River in Covington, KY), remaining until June 1864, somewhat unusual, since most of the early enlistments were for 3 months, rather than 3 years. According to Inter Ocean's biography of him, he served as a newspaper correspondent while in the army, giving readers the viewpoint of the "man with a rifle," which viewpoint, although these letters were written to a student, is certainly evident here. After the war, he edited the Ohio State Journal in Columbus before becoming secretary to Governor J. Cox, and remaining as secretary to Rutherford B. Hayes until April 1868, when he again edited the Journal. In 1871 he moved to the Toledo Blade, where he was associate editor for two years before moving to Chicago as Western editor and manager of American Agriculturist and Hearth and Home. He was with the Chicago Tribune for six months in 1875, joining The Inter Ocean staff in April 1876. He remained in Chicago, and died there 14 July 1906. He is buried in Rosehill Cemetery in Cook County. The first letter is four pages, 7.5 x 11.75 in., manuscript, Camp Gauley, Fayette County, Virginia, 13 Aug. 1861, and shows Busbey's writing skill. The letter is addressed to Miss Louisa Jones, and he describes their camp situation: Camp Gauley is fast becoming a noted place. Its position makes it important both in a military and commercial point of view.... We are surrounded by rebels, in large numbers but they are as "omni-absent" when a force goes to hunt them up as the Eureka of the ancients.When they can slip in overwhelming numbers on a squad of soldier or a regiment encamped without protection we hear from them. And often an unfortunate Picket shot on his post tells the tale, "Traitors and murders near." Later he describes being sent to scout a location on a nearby ridge. We then went down to the dividing gulley took along the mountain path and followed it until it emptied out nowhere in particular right among the mountains. Then up along mountain gorges, the beds of mountain streams, over rocky precipices and through the denseness of mountain forests we made our way until we reached to top of the main mountain September 2nd. ... We stopped here for a few moments and then the Sergeant and Corporal of the Squad (Wm. H. Busby and John J.? Perrine) were detached and ordered to descend until they came to the dividing ridge or backbone of the mountains, then to ascend and follow it up the Kanawha and Gauley Rivers until it descended into the gentler swell on the banks of the Gauley. With a "Good Bye boys" we started soon found the ridge and commenced its ascent and also commenced a most romantic trip. The ridge at its commencement resembles a well thrown up road, the ascent at first gentle but soon becomes abruptly rocky and precipitous, affording views of towering rocks springing abruptly from the even surface until in despair the eye turned down to rest. There commenced soon a series of lofty pinnacles named Table Rock, Chimney Rock, Tower Rock &c. From the top of these we had the grandest of views. Perched on the top we looked down on each side into the deep dark gullies until the eye grew faint and the head dizzy in a vain attempt to see the bottom. In front we looked across the Kanawha and away it seemed for hundred of miles over mountains and hills, rivers and rivulets, and a new work of farm houses and farms until all joined the sky in one waving line of uncertain glorious blue. After climbing, swinging, falling, slipping