Head Quarters                        

Gen Birneys Division

Near Spotsylvania C.H.

May 18^th 1864            

           

Dear Brother

              I have again leasure moments & I will improve them by writing to you. We still lie near the same place as when I wrote to Mother the other day, on the Battle field of May 12^th where many have been called to there last [?] since we first came here. On the night of the eleventh we left our entrench 3^d of May we left our camp at Brandy Station marched all night & part of the next day when we arrived at the Rapidan river where we crossed at Ealy's ford, arrived at the / old Chanslorvill House at 3 oclock went in to camp & stoped untill the morning of the fifth at day break when we started on the march again acting as flankers to prevent the enemy from surprising the column as they were moving along. We marched about five miles arriving just after noon. Our Regt were ordered on the skirmish line we skirmished some time without finding the enemy. in the mean time the ball was opened a mile to the right where we were soon ordered we found that 1^st L.I. had been engaged & found the Vermont Brigade at them then. Our Regt entrenched them selfs & layed on our arms all night with out being molested / with the exception of one or two surprises during the night.

 

The morning of the 6^th found our Div advancing on the enemy's intrenchments Our Regt went in on a charge & lost many men for which the Brig. Gen of our Brigade is under arrest for he had no business to make the L.I. charge. in the charge 1^st Sgt Colby & J. M. Gilman were missing & have not been heard from since J. S. Floid a recruit was killed at night the enemy made an unsuccessful charge on our entrenchments loosing many killed there was but a few shots from the artillery on eather side in the fight of the Wilderness so called /

 

The 7^th day there was not much fighting only our charge being made by our troops & one by the Rebs both being repulsed. the Johny's having started toward Richmond we left our lines of entrenchments & started along on there flank continually shelling there troops & baggage train. after marching about 7 miles we again engaged them on the morning of the 10^th & had a pretty hard fight receiving a victory of union arms. All day the 11^th our Regt engaged the Johny's s.shooters, no gen engagement by infantry. on the night of the eleventh we in a round about way marched all night & succeeded in flanking the enemy charged & captured there breast works & succeeded in repulsing two charges made by them to retake there works / The fight lasted all day & at night the enemy were piled in large quantitys in front of the entrenchments some pretty near torn to pieces many wounded &c our Div Corps captured 7,000 prisoners in the charge of the morning

 

The 13^th was spent in burrying the dead carrying off the wounded organising &c at night we were ordered to report at Gen Berry's Head Quarters we done so & found that the 1^st & 2^nd L. I. were to be attached to no Brigade but are to stop at Head Quarters only when we are on duty

 

            On the 14^th we had a little sharp shooting with the enemy but no gen engagement On the 15^th we done the same some artillery fire / but no gen engagement On the 16^th we skirmished a little one man a recruit in our Co wounded

 

            I have given you a minute detail of our movements since we left camp & you can see what our boys have been through

 

Cap F. H. Carr is going to mail his letter & so I will let him mail this. I will write again just as soon as I get a chance to mail it

 

            Oh I forgot to tell you that I visited the eleventh N.H.V. I saw Larence Stevens Harrison Thurston Capt Tilton but did not / see Elias, Anson, John Cram Tom Tuttle neather of the Wallace boys but probily shall in a few days John Cram is wounded pretty seriously through the leg

 

            Grin West arrived at the Regt yesterday

                                                                       

I remain your true friend & Brother

W. B. Greene

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