NEAL NEFF'S NEW NATIONAL POEMS, Composed by a Captain of the Line, Belonging to the 54th O.V.V.I., of the 2d Brigade, 2d Division, 15th Army Corps, of Gen. Sherman's Army, who, while at the Front, in Moments of Idleness, Wrote for His Own Amusement Hardcover - 1866

Cincinnati: Moore, Wilstach & Baldwin, 1866. 159 pages. Original cloth. [19.3 cm.] Ex-Sondley Reference Library with internal markings only. Tasteful bookplate on front pastedown, embossed stamp on title and one other leaf, and number stamp on verso of title and in margin of one other page. Else good only. Cloth mostly faded from original purple to tan, with some wear and spotting; shallow chips to spine ends; one centimeter split to front hinge; light scattered foxing. FIRST EDITION. Scarce. Cornelius Neff was an officer in Co. H, 54th Ohio Infantry, who rose to the rank of captain by the end of the war. He fought with Sherman's army until Dec. 13, 1864, when he was severely wounded in the leg during the attack on Fort McAllister. He returned to service two months later, landing at Hilton Head on Feb. 20. He traveled to Charleston, where he visited Fort Sumter, and was stationed at the nearby encampment at St. Andrew's Depot. He rejoined his unit at Goldboro in April, passing through Wilmington and Morehead City along the way. He was with the army by April 14 when the news of Lincoln's assassination arrived, an event here remembered in a poem. Other verses describe "The Georgia Campaign," "Views and Thoughts on the Top of Kenesaw Mountain, Ga.," "The Battle of the 15th A.C., July 25, 1864, West of Atlanta, Ga.," "The Grand Review" in Washington, D.C., and the author's journey back to his home. Several verses commerorate individual soldiers who fell at Kennesaw Mountain and Fort McAllister. Dornbusch I, O266.