Camp Hucker

                                    Near Fredricksburgh

                                    Virginia Thursday

                                    8^th day of May 1863

                                    My dear wife I am in good health at present and I thank god for spairing my life during the dredful hard five days fite we have gust come through on the 28^th day of Aprile we ware marched to Chancersville 16 miles from this Camp on the evening of the 1^st of May encampt ther that nite on the evening of the second day the rebels shoed fite we ware then ordered out and we formed our line of battel Thy ware a feew shots exchanged and firing ceased at dark our hole army lay on their arms all nite the next day about 9 oclock the ball opened from both sides/and a dredfull firining was kept up during the hole day and firing ceased about 9 oclock at nite with no advantage gained on either side but both sides lost a great many men this nite we lay on our arms and the fite commenced the next morning which was Sunday last this day was a dreadfull day it is said here that it was the hardest faut battle that has been faut during this war both sides faut bravly. o, Musy the sound of the canons ands guns this day was terefic whole ranks swept of instantly oh Mussy the cries of the wounded was dredfull and in the evening we ware forced from the battel field and retreated perhaps a mile from the battel field/lay on our arms this nite and the battel was renewd next Monday faut all of this day this day we gained nothing but men kild lay on our guns untill two oclock when orders came for a generial retreat we then struck our tents and fell in ranks and retreated to the north side of the rappahanick and arived in this our old Camp on last evening all very much exosted and tired out we held fredricksburgh and the hills and had the rebels all surrounded at one time and was in a fair way of taken the hole rebel Army prisners but thy faut despratly and finly compeled us to retreat of the field leaving all of our ded on the battel field in posesion of the rebels whether the rebels beried our ded or/not I do not know our Reigement faut well and bravly the loss in our Redgement was hevy thy was about 200 men kild in this Reigt Company D lost every man thy had but 6 men and other Companies lost heavly Company I only lost one man kild and 3 wounded the man that was kild his name was Craft he lived near brookville I made a great many very narrow excapes during the 5 days fiting but came out unhurt the number kild on this side I do not yet know but it was very hevy on both sides I must close at present

My dear Mussy I am in good health at present hoping that you are engoying also good health give my love to all my friends I send my love to you Musy and subscribe myself your affectinate husband untill deth

WRodgers to Sarah Rodgers

enclosed I send you twenty sweet kises

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