Presented in this lot are Tombstone Arizona Territory S. L. Hart Civil War Letters, May, June and September 1864. Provenance: Tombstone Western Heritage Museum, Tombstone, Arizona. Nineteen (19) handwritten letters from Hart to his wife, including five (5) stamped envelopes. Hart wrote succinctly but vividly about day to day life in the different U. S. Army camps he was in, both during training and on the battlefield. His letters tell about his time in the service, pitching tents, drilling all day and being tired. Hart wrote these letters during his deployment at Camp Washburn in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Recurring themes throughout Hart's letters focus on his time as a Captain, soldiers that served with him previously that are also assigned with him again, friends from home who are possibly avoiding military service, questions and comments about his two young children, but mostly regarding receiving mail from home. Receiving mail from home was a lifeline for soldiers and any delay in receiving a letter was met with much angst. That same angst is vividly felt in Hart's letters. Samuel Lombard Hart (1830-1893) prior to becoming a very highly regarded and skilled gunsmith during his ten years in Tombstone, had two separate tours of duty with Union forces in the Civil War. As a Lieutenant, he served with the Wisconsin 10th Infantry and as an Assistant Signal Officer for the 4th Division of the Army of the Tennessee seeing action in several battles including Pittsburgh Landing. Hart was stationed in Memphis, Tennessee after it was captured by Union forces. Hart's second enlistment in 1864 was as a "Hundred Days Man", a nickname applied to a series of regiments of United States Volunteers raised in 1864 for 100-day service in the Union Army during the height of the American Civil War. These short-term, lightly trained troops freed veteran units from routine duty to allow them to go to the front lines for combat purposes. The 41st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, in which Hart served, was one such unit. As such, Hart's unit was involved in the Second Battle of Memphis in August of 1864. After the war as a gunsmith in Tombstone Arizona Territory, if gun repairs were needed, Hart's on Freemont Street was the place to go, located just a short distance from the famous Fly Photography studio and right next door to the O.K. Corral. On Oct. 26th of 1881 Hart, while working in his store, would be one of the relatively few witnesses to the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral that made Tombstone and the Earp's famous. Guns that were re-worked or repaired by Hart were often stamped with his logo, which was the letters S and L over a "heart," an artistic yet compact and simple way of saying "S.L. Hart." S.L. was entrusted with both basic repairs as well as also sought out for his special Colt pistols. Some of Hart's more notable clients were US Marshal Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, outlaw Ike Clanton and Buckskin Frank Leslie. It has been said that the legacy of S.L. Hart as gunsmith to the cowboys, gamblers, lawmen, and gunfighters of Tombstone cannot be over estimated. Today a firearm with the "S.L. Hart" stamp is almost priceless. The letters are in amazingly well preserved condition, each in a clear protective sleeve. Measure 9.5"W x 11.25"L, combined weight is 14oz.