Camp on Miners Hill

Monday March 15 '63

                       

Mr. H. B. Lyon.

                                                           

Dear Sir

                          Your letter of March the 9^th came to hand on Saturday evening I had just returned from the Hospital before writing to you where I had been since the 13 of Dec. After writing to you I made some inquiries and was told that you had certainly got letters from Addison and that he was yet living You may readily conceive my disappointment after reading your letter The report you give about the Lt. refusing to allow a private to carry Addison off the field, is a mistake Lt. Dick Burkman Co E told me that as our line was falling back he passed near Addison who called to him that he was shot thro the leg and asked him to help him off which the Lieut who is but a small man was unable to do No live Yankee saw him two hours after he was shot because it was but a few minutes from the time infantry fighting began till the rebels were over the ground our line fought on We had but a single line to oppose to their massed columns which came on like a whirl-wind crushing every thing before them The smartest of our men fired but 13 rounds Add. was always lively and full of mirth always taking part in all sports going on in camp without the profanity which is too often heard in camp life He was never quarrelsome and yet a braver man in time of / battle never lived. Perhaps I was with him as much and knew him as well as any man in our Company. When we came to Washington we were divided into messes. Add was a new man in our Company he was put into a mess two of them were at the time considerably in liquor He came to our mess and told us his condition and said he would not stay with them so we took into our mess which then consisted of five (four being the number allowed to a mess Our Co. not being full) were exempt from taking in recruits. We always lived as friendly as five brothers could The Bible was often read in our mess After tattoo while we lay in camp one of us would always read a chapter or two Add lost his Bible and in fact every thing else on the 27 of June when we got orders to fall back from the battlefield of Mechanicsville which was half a mile in front of our camp to Gaine's Hill about two miles to the rear our Capt. told us to leave our knapsacks in camp and said he "we will fight them for the ownership" Our rear-guard coming thro our camp burned all that could not be carried off and our knapsacks were burned Add took his captivity very cool He was confined in the same prison I was (Libby No 2) The day I went in he came up to me laughing and said "Well George I knew the next thing I would hear of you, you would be in jail" The only thing that seemed to trouble him was the thought that the folks at home could not hear from him After we were removed from Libby to our Island prison I was not in the same tent with him tho I saw him often 

 

            He suffered a great deal for want of provision and good water to drink About 8 ounces of bread per day was all that was allowed us On the 4 of July some of the boys sang "Hail Columbia" and the "Star Spangled Banner" and the guard to punish us gave us nothing to eat that day We were captives for 40 days and I have my doubts if Add and a great many more of us could have withstood the prison 40 days longer We were nothing but the shadows of our former selves After we were exchanged and reached Harrison's Bar we had scarcely time to satisfy the cravings of hunger till we were shipped to Fredericksburg from thence we marched up the Rappahannock to join Pope's retreating Army which made a final stand on Bull Run's bloody plains where it seems that Providence had ordered that Add's warfare should cease

 

During the skirmishes of the 28 and 29 Add told me different times that if he was killed he wanted me to get some letters that were in his cartridge box I told him I would if I could but that there was no more chance of his being killed than the rest But I never saw him after the action of the afternoon of the 30.

 

And now while writing of one, dear to me as a brother, whose fate will probably never be really known till the last great Day if I have been of the least service while doing this to you or any of his friends my object will be accomplished In conclusion I will say that I shall always bear a lively recollection of the young soldier from Duquesne Boro Add Lyon

                                                                       

Believe me Sir to be ever Yours truly

George Weber

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