Lot 278 email save

"...I saw a dead Reb when I was over there that wa

Autograph Letter incomplete, 4p. octavo, Camp near Stevensburg, Va. December 23, 1863, and reads in part: "...We had a funeral in this Co. yesterday the first one since I have been with the regiment. When I joined the regm’t there were Twetny of us recruits to this co. and there are but nine of them left now with the regm’t. And there has but one of them died and he was taken prisoner and carried to Richmond and he was kept so short, that he died as soon as he was exchanged...When we were over the Rapidan we did not have any particular battle but we were out on skirmish most every day, and we came very near having a big battle. The enemy had fell back about two miles one night at dark, and about two oclock we were called up and advanced very quietly and got within 3/4 of a mile of their fortifications, long before daylight without their knowing it. We were formed in three lines about four or five rods apart, with each line two men deep. (The 19th Me. was placed in the front line) And these three lines stretched away to the right and left much farther than I could see. There were 28 thousand of us in these three lines to charge, and take their fortifications at day light. And as there began to be a little streak of light in the last we were ordered to lay down our knapsacks in a pile and fix bayonets. Then we thought that we had some serious work to do an that the time had come, and as there wa to be one man left from every Co. to guard the knapsacks, I noticed that there was quite a number that was willing to stay, and then Gen. Webb came along and told us to be ready in Ten Minutes, and as we stood there in line all ready for the word to start, there was a great deal of thinking done up in that ten minutes, but the time passed and we got no order, so we stood there all day in plain sight of the rebel breastworks and not a gun fired from either side. The 19th Me. were left there that night as pickets and were relieved in the morning...When it got to be daylight so the Rebs could see us so near them. There was some flying round in their camp I tell you, and they worked as smart to strengthen their fortifications as ever I saw men work, and they worked all day and night and I don’t know how much longer. I saw a dead Reb when I was over there that was nearly cut in two by a shell and he had his mouth full of parched corn and all he had in his haversack was shelled corn, so we though that they did not have any victuals to spare..." Fine.

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