CIVIL WAR LETTER - Rebel Sharpshooters FIRE AT ABE LINCOLN Attack on Ft Stevens!

Description

Civil War Letter
Extraordinary Civil War letter written by an unidentifed Union soldier at Ft Ethan Allan, Virginia who says Abraham Lincoln was visiting Ft Stevens when Confederate sharpshooters starting firing at him !!  Read content below.
This remarkable Civil War soldier letter was signed by a Union soldier named “Jake” which was mostly likely short for “Jacob.” I feel reasonably confident that he would have been a member of the 147th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI)—a 100 days regiment mustered into the US Service in the summer of 1864—but there are nearly a dozen soldiers by the name of Jacob in this regiment so I have not not been able to narrow it down.
The 147th Ohio Regiment was organized at Camp Dennison, Ohio, 16 May 1864 to serve 100 days. It was composed of the 25th Ohio Regiment and Eighty-seventh Battalion, Ohio National Guard, from Miami county. On the 20th of May, the regiment started for Washington City. Upon arrival, it reported to General Auger and was ordered on duty at Fort Ethan Allen. On the 27th of May, four companies were ordered to Fort Marcy. On the 1st of June, Co. A was detailed to perform guard duty at Division headquarters and remained there during its term of service. At midnight on June 11th, the regiment was ordered to Fort Reno. Marching as far as Fort Stevens, the 147th Ohio moved into the trenches as support to the 1st Maine and 1st Ohio Batteries. In this position, the regiment remained until the 4th of July when it returned to Fort Ethan Allen. On 23 August, the regiment was ordered to Camp Dennison and they were mustered out on the 30th.
In this letter, Jakes informs his sister that he was an eye-witness to the Early’s attack on Fort Stevens and that “Old Abe was in the fight.”
President Abraham Lincoln at Fort Stevens during evening attack by Rebs on 11 July 1864; the chimneys of the house burned can be seen in the near distance.
Transcription
Fort Ethan Allen
, Virginia
July 16, 1864
Dear Sister,
I will try and write you a small letter this pleasant afternoon to give you a little information of what has transpired since I wrote you the last letter. I suppose there is a letter on the way but we have not had any mail this week until last night and then we had out a few as there was so many they could not distribute them in Washington.
I suppose you have heard about the Rebs being down here and attacking Washington. The first skirmishing we heard was last Sunday and then there was skirmishing until Tuesday when early in the morning they began their bloody work of fighting. They continued the fighting more or less all day. I was out on picket that day. We had a nice view of the battle—that is, the portion we could see. The smoke ascend[ed] in black, heavy clouds and occasionally [we could] see a shell burst in the air. A little before sundown, the rebels made a charge on our men, but they fired their large siege guns and the Rebs were drove back with heavy loss. Such a noise! it shook the very earth.
Old Abe was in the fight. Some of the Reb’s sharpshooters were concealed in a house and they was shooting at him and he told our men to set it afire. It was a house cost several thousand dollars. That was about dusk. The flames shot upward and the conflagration illuminated the country for miles around. The kept up their firing until after nine o’clock when it gradually died away. It was a very pleasant evening. The moon was shining brightly and it was almost as bright as daylight.
As I was walking my beat, I thought of home. I wondered what you folks were doing. Everything  was quiet except the hooting of the owl and the solemn note of the nightingale and the noise of the cavalrymen as they galloped back and forward on the outer picket lines. But while there was everything so quiet here, what a scene of carnage and bloodshed was there 5 miles from here at Fort Stevens. There some were lying on the ground wounded, dying, and filling the air with their shrieks and groans. They had no smooth pillow to rest their feverish brow. They had no tender hand to refresh their parched lips or to administer to their wants. But such are the evils of war. The rebels then retreated that night and they have not troubled us since. We was expecting an attack here but I think they have skedaddled.
We are very busy now. I have not slept in the barracks for two weeks. I was on picket three nights right along. Night before last, we slept in the fort on our arms and last night our company was out on interior picket, so you may think we are on duty every night. If I get three hours sleep is all I care about now. We have lots of sport still on picket. We just wrap blankets around us and lay on the ground and sleep as sound as if we were on feathers.
Well I have not time to write much. You can look for us at home about the 10th or 15th if nothing else happens. David Tighby [?] is in the hospital. He is very sick but he is a little [better] this afternoon. I believe William telegraphed to his father this morning. The rest of the boys are all well and I am also well and I hope this may find you enjoying the same. Write soon. My love to all. Your brother,  — Jake
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