(Battle Charles City Crossroads)

July 24^th 1862—         Yes

 

My Dear Father—

                        You know where I am to be found, and so I concluded to drop the long heading I generally commence my letters with. I rec'd this morning two letters from you, one dated the 12^th the other the 21^st. There is trouble in the P.O. somewhere—Yesterday I got a letter from Aunt Nettie at Canandaigua dated the 18^th and one from New York of the 9^th. The sun comes down like rays of fire, but as I sit in one corner of my tent, with the sides all up, I get occasional puffs of air, that makes it endurable. I am now in command of the Reg'm't. This morning I commanded the Brigade. Court Martial took our senior Officers away. Our Gen'l Berry is down with the fever, after him I am the third ranking Officer. You will have rec'd my letters abt. getting on the staff. I may be hasty, as Gen'l Halleck may possibly not be any higher in rank, but "a stitch in time" &c and a word now might be of more avail than a dictionary by & by. My health is restored, I am all right again, in spite of not yet getting the boxes you sent me, & that I long so much to receive. I have sent to Fortress Monroe for them long ago. Do what you think proper about the staff business / and write me your views. I wrote you a letter giving you a brief epitome of our skedaddle but got no further than the start. Presuming you got my letter I will go on. We marched all day of the 29^th forming once to repel the attack of our closely pressing foes. About ten o'clock at night we halted at a hill, and lay down under arms. I slept none, the danger was too great. The morning of the 30^th we moved off the road to a position in an apple orchard command'g the Cha^s. City Road. Here I found in a dilapidated house an ancient couple with some six little children, and immediately opened negotiations for the purchase of some chickens &c. The old woman strenuously insisted that she had "nary chicken" anywhere but as I had first investigated the subject in the house and under it, and had found a barrel with a board on top, said barrel containing half a dozen good fat chickens; I took the privilege of disagreeing with the old lady, and like any starved man told her that "she might sell me the chickens or part of them that she had stowed away in the Bbl. under the house, for a fair price, or I would help myself for nothing". She looked blank, and said she reckoned I might take some on 'em for half a dollar a piece. The old man wanted a dollar, and so / I split the difference and took three for 0.75^cts ea. I then carried one of my prizes to a neighboring shanty and engaged a darkey woman residing therein to cook it for me, and serve up with the addition of a hoecake. In half an hour your hopeful sat upon the grass, devouring said chicken and a tremendous hoecake. T'was the only decent meal I had had, or would have in weeks. The other two chickens hung suspended from my saddle, so you might have taken me for a peddler or a poacher. Here we got mustered, it being the last day of the month. Alas! what changes were to take place before night, before the names of brave men were more than written to get pay from U.S. the men themselves were to lay cold in death or stiff with wounds. What then cared they for pay. About 11 o'clock alarm came of the enemy, firing in our rear, troops were moved to different points to check his advance, we were hastily thrown across't the Cha^s. City Road. Then firing in another direction, and another, all around us. Down the road came galloping an Aid, and almost breathless, told our Gen'l the enemy were coming up another road, to our rear. In double quick we moved across't the orchard, leaving by / our General's order knapsacks, canteens, everything. Winding through woods we finally were ensconced out of sight, in some bushes, bordering on a field, and lay close in column of Divisions. I rode out and looking over the field, saw our batteries planted opposite the mouth of the road, and pouring along it shot & shell. The Rebels charged & charged, but swept away like chaff before the wind, by our canister & grape, and musketry too supporting, fell back down the road. Then shell after shell went whizzing after them. But now from where we came from, or from that direction the firing seems heavy and hot, and back we march to help the weaker points. Half way back and it seems as though we were attacked on every side, on every side is the rifle banging and artillery roaring. Going up a road, we file into a piece of woods on one side, and again in column of Divisions lay in reserve. On the opposite side of the road in the same close-drawn formation hides the brave 37^th. They are reserve too. Nearer and nearer all around us approaches the roar & din of battle. The Col. of the 37^th is talking earnestly with some Aid, who has just ridden up. The Aid goes and the Col. tells me with

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