Head quarters 13^th Regt N.H.V. 1^st Brigade 3^d Division 9^th Army Corps. Army of the Potomac        

Dec 18^th 1862

 

Dear Father

Not having much to do to day and thinking I should not get a better chance to write I thought I would drop a few more lines to the folks at home.

 

I shall commence to write from the day I left off in my letter to Mother. You must not expect a verry correct account for the times were to sturing to think of keeping much note of the things that had passed. I shall give it to you as I kepted it at the time it was a going on.

 

Thursday Dec 10 Dec 11^th.

They have been shelling the city to / day. It has been nothing but a perfect roar of artillery all day. about 5 oclock they succeeded in getting 3 bridges acrost the river under cover of our guns.

 

To night we was ordered out on a line of battle then back to camp and in about half an hour we was ordered to fall in to cross the river. We got over in the city about 2 oclock at night built some fires and layed around untell morning. The rebs left every thing there was in the city we took a pianoforte and some nice cain bottom chairs to build our fire with. The houses are all stoven up and the boys are distroying every thing they can find. I have got quite a lot of things that I should like to send home but I cant send them I send Jane a piece of a pianoforte / that I took off from a $1500.00 pianoforte that we found in a house there was one in a most evry house and plenty of things to eat which dont go far to prove that the rebs have nothing to eat. that they have not much to ware is quite sure from the fact that they striped evry thing off from our ded and wounded after the battle, but they have enough to eat that is sure I send Sarah a piece of cloth taken from miniture set of draws that belonged to a little girl about 12 years of adge. She can keep it to remember the bloodest battle that was ever fought.

 

Friday Dec 12

To day we have been laying here in the street they have been fighting hard all day. We are held to day as a reserve. They have thrown quite a number of shot & shells in to the city one passed within 6 inches of /

 

wednesday Dec 9^th /

Continued

my head rather to close to be agreable. one of our company got hit by a piece of shell in the foot to day. He is a Barrington boy his name is Gilman Hall Jr They day has passed and we have got to lay on our armes to night in the street

 

Saturday

This morning the fight commenced again we was mooved down by the river untell about dark We was then ordered out to make a charge on a battery the the had just mad three charges on and was repulsed. We charge up to within ten feet of thair brest work, when they poord into us a perfect shower of grape and canester and a whole line of musketentry. they were behind / a brest work of stone, over which we could not get and we were oblige to retreat which we did in as quick time as our legs would let us our company was in front and come off with the least loss of any one on the field our company had none killed and but 5 wounded

 

Sunday

There has been no fighting with our part of the army to day and every thing is quite

 

Monday

We have had no fighting to day we went out on picket to night but come in about 12 oclock. The whole army is being mooved acrost the river

I dont think there will be any more fighting at present 

 

Tuesday morning found us back on our old camp ground a which place we stayed untell Wednesday night when we was ordered to moove down by the river to support a battery we shall be likley to stop here for a while I think

 

From the looks of things I should think there would be no more fighting for the present at least I will write you more about the battle when I get time

The loss on our side has been greater than at any other battle that has been fought.

 

You folks dont know anything about the condit loss in battle you never get any correct account of it. besides a great part of the army is sick. Our Regiment is as full as any one here and out of our 1200 there is left only 400 able for duty 

 

I want you to write soon and write all of the news.

 

I want you to send me a New Hampshire paper that has got the account of the battle of Fredericksburg in it. I want to see what they have to say about it.

 

I want you to send me some money if you have got any on hand for my boots are a most gone and I must have a nother pair or I shall freeze my feet for it is not verry warm out here just now. about $10.00 will do I guess

 

I dont think of much more to write this time so I will close. We have not got the box you sent us we had to leave before it got along and it has not been sent after as yet.

SOURCES