Union soldier during the Civil War, writing from Spotsylvania Courthouse on May 20, 1864, to his daughter, about the many battles he had fought in and the presence of the Confederates in the immediate area. Bauer was a native German speaker and the English in his letter is heavily Germanized (ex. shuding duks for shooting ducks). Bauer was killed two months later in the Battle of Monocacy. Transcript available. Collection also includes a daguerreotype of an identified man.