Harpers Ferry Va Md.

July 17 1863.

                                   

Dear Sister.

                I suppose you have been looking for this letter since since Thursday night but you see that it had not been written at the time you began to look for it.

 

            We have been scouting around considerable this last week but have not had any very hard marching to do in the time. We do not call it hard, after such marching as we did coming from Va. up here, but under McClellan we should have thought we had done big things. We are now near Harpers Ferry, between that place and Berlin where we expect to cross the river into Va. / I suppose we are waiting for the pontoons we got here last night having marched from Boonsboro since morning. I think we need a new commander for this Army already. Meade has let Lee escape out of Maryland when I think we might have captured half of the remainder of his Army. I know it is rather dangerous attacking an enemy in front when his rear and flanks are protected as was the case with Lee by a large river, but as it has turned out, as we now know, we might have cut his infantry awfully since he took care to get his artillery over almost the whole of it before any of his infantry. But I dont know as we need to complain after all that has been accomplished since the first of July. Old Jeff. must have lost in that time, in killed, wounded, and prisoners very near one hundred thousand men, besides cannon, small arms, stores &c. and also the strongest positions he could find on the Mississippi. / I rather think he will want to send Stephens to Washington again pretty soon wont he? It seems too that our Monitors are again knocking at the doors of Charleston, this time with better success than before. I wish the rebellion could be finished there where it commenced, and may be it will

 

Four companies of our regiment, I. E. G. H. and D. (five) had a little skirmish with the grey backs last Sunday night. they were posted behind a stone wall in a valley and our lines run through a cornfield a wheat field and both flanks extending into the woods. I. Co. was in the cornfield, and E in the wheat field, with nothing to protect us from the rebel balls. it was impossible to hide our selves by squatting down as we were on the top of a side hill, and they below us in the hollow where they could look up and see every motion we made. our only alternative was to use our legs not giving them time to load after firing the first time. our whole line advanced on the double quick / and in five minutes we were safe taking the wall and holding it through the next day. From the time we gained the wall till dark the firing was kept up without cessation. Where I was there was not much firing for the rebels occupied a position similar to our own and both parties knew very well that it was perfectly useless in wasting ammunition upon the other. On the right and left the positions were not so well fortified and so they blazed away at each other as long as they could see. On the right the rebels were driven from that position three times, but each time they were forced back by their officers, the fourth time they could not be made to come back and soon after that part of our lines advanced and occupied the ground they vacated. from where we were behind the wall we could peak over and watch the whole proceedings and it made some laughing to see rebels cutting one way and the other between the fire of our men and the cursing of their officers. The next day everything was quite peaceable while our line of battle behind us were throwing up earth works they were getting things in readiness to leave which they did when it came dark L C Cook.

 

[written through upside down]

 

Your letter of the fifth arrived while the skirmishing was going on which I was glad to see. Dont seem as though you can keep very good track of us by reading the papers. You say that we passed through Frederick Saturday the next you hear from us is July 3^rd in York going towards Dover, Va. & so on. Well we have not been in neither of those places yet and I do not see any signs of being there at present. July 3^d we were skipping around dodging bomb shells to the best of our ability. I have stood the marching first rate all the trouble I have had with my feet is getting one big toe skinned I done it up in a tallowed rag and never had any more trouble with it. the most trouble I have had was with my back, where my knapsack rested all broke out with the heat and it would itch and smart so sometimes that it would seem as though I should go crazy. I have had to stop sometimes on the road take off my things and have a regular time of it scratching against the fence like a hog in the pen.

 

[through-writing continued]

 

I wish you would send us a little of your dry weather. I should like to swap some of our rainy weather for it. It has rained most every day since we left the Rappahannock. It is raining now like time. I am glad we are not on the march today for it is awful muddy, and slippery. It rained a few last Sunday it come so hard we could not go on so we stopped where we stood and waited with our backs to the shower till it was over. we did not go much further but got our suppers and after that had our skirmish. How much do you think I could get if I was home to go out haying, four and six? A man in the 51^st Mass came to see me the other day. I did not know him nor he me but there were some in his company that did and among the rest was Frank Freeman of Mendon Alanson Freeman's son, used to keep our school. He was drowned a short time before. I suppose the regiment is now on the way home. You had ought to see us today as we lay in the mud. the tents are stuck up all over the ground as thick as they can stand its hard getting around among them. I waked up

 

[through-writing continued]

 

in the night and felt the water running along under me. I turned over and went to sleep and this morning made a ditch to keep the water out. We are drawing clothing rations &c today. I have just got two pair of stockings, the ones I got from home I shall let have their time when we leave here. I can put them on and off most any way now. real handy.

 

Gen Newton took command of the first Corps after Reynolds was killed. Gen Bartlett now commands our Division. He is about as big as Hamilton has long curly hair, and dresses a little on the fancy style Sedgwick is a rusty looking old fellow you may believe. his whiskers have been growing three or four weeks they are all colors, red yellow and grey about equal parts. they stick out straight all over his face about half an inch, which makes him look some as a hedgehog may be supposed to look. his clothing corresponds well with his whiskers, and take him altogether one would think his business was travelling the roads living on what folks might give him.

 

[top front margin upside down]

 

Not send any more envelopes at present. they get wet and stick together. I will let you know when I use out

 

I guess I have written enough for once so I will stop I shall look for a letter from you in the next mail, whenever it comes

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