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Escaped Confederate Servants Lead Union Attack On

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A good pair of war-date Union soldier's letters, written by Pvt. Sumner D. Aspinwall, Co. G, 2nd New Jersey Vols., 4p. quarto, ink, and reads in part: "[Fairfax Court House, Va. March 14th, 1862, incomplete] Our brigade formed on the parade ground and Gen Kearny rode up on his Mexican charger and proposed three cheers for the Union which the boys gave with a will, then the order was given to forward march and off we started towards Fairfax....We arrived at Burks Station on the Orange and Alexandria R.R....where we relieved Gen. Howard's brigade from Sumner's Division. They had been guarding that place while men had been building a bridge near there...our company...were placed out beyond the brigade on picket...I heard voices in the distance and the tramp of horses. I thought some of the enemy's cavalry were coming down...it was nine contrabands coming in, three children and one woman were on horses and five men were on foot. I asked where from, Manassas was their answer. I and two others from the picket post took them in to the Gen. at the station. He questioned them all about Manassas and they seemed very intelligent having been servants to Cols and officers and they said that they had took away all their heavy guns and had everything ready and would move that morning (Sunday) Shortly after the Gen. took one of them as a scout and started off with two companies of cavalry and the 2d and some company of the 1st and 3d N.J. V....fourteen of the cavalry who were near the Gen. discovered some two hundred secesh in a rifle pit...the Gen. rode at the head of them and ordered a charge they charged and some of the secesh stood their ground and others ran in all directions leaving guns, knapsacks and everything. In the charge Lieut Nedham and one private of the cavalry were killed and the cavalry took thirteen prisoners...Among the prisoners was a Lieut. who graduated and was in the same class at West Point with Gen. Kearny...[Camp Parole Annapolis, Md. October 13, 1862] The draft continues in this State. Wednesday the draft in some parts of the state will be heavy and in Baltimore it will be light. There was not more than one half of the prisoners from the 15th sent away from here and the prisoners that we sent away from here to be exchanged there is some trouble about the exchange for they are encamped near Alexandria yet. I do not see as we will be exchanged for sometime to come. I should think there could be something done now with all the troops there is in the field. They say troops are coming into Washington now at the rate of seven thousand a day...I see that Stuart's Cavalry have made a raid into Pa. again I suppose they will get back over the Potomac again same as they did the last time...I have been in the service seventeen months and done duty all the time until I was taken prisoner...." VG.

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