Maryland Heights

September the 28^th 1862

Sunday

 

Dear Parrents

I am once more permitted to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well and enjoying good health and hope these few lines may find you all the same I received your letter yesterday it was wrote on the 24 and I was very glad to hear from you for it is the first letter I have had for three weeks

 

Last Tuesday night September 16 we were called up out of our sleep about 11 O clock and was orderderded to load our guns and then we started off and left our blankets and over coats and marched about 3 or 4 miles / without speaking a word hardly so as to get through the rebble pickets and part of the time walked on our tip toes and then we laid down again till towards morning and then we were routted out again and marched towards the battle field

 

and while entering the battle field Crosedale was shot he died instantly and two or three others was wounded I did not see Garris shot but I saw several others fall by my side and I thought the next one would be me but I soon got over that and thought about nothing but loading and shooting their was a corn field between us and the rebbles but we call them grey backs here / we fired a few rounds and then made a rush for the corn field and went through it and made a few fires and then they got to to cross fireing us and we had to drop back out of the corn field and there we held our position until we was ordered of the field and then we were scattered all over so that they did not all come to the regiment till the next morning and some did not come in for to or 3 days after

 

we did not know that Garris nor Wissamer nor Hulderman was shot till the next day after the battle we found them a lying in the corn field I saw them all burried along side of each other Garris was shot through the heart Wissamer was shot through the head and Hulderman through the / hart I dont think that any of them suffered much pain

 

we are now laying on M Heights and it looks as if we was a goint to stay here a while we are a looking for our tents and napsacks every day it is prety warm here in the day time but it is cold at night we have got a shelter tent and there is 4 of us in it and we have got it fixed up so that it is very comfortable and we begin to live a little like home again we seen some of the home guards from doylestown a day or two after the battle

 

I guess I must stop

 

give my best respect to all the inquireing friends you must write often and not wait for me to write

 

Direct the same as the rest

From your son William Swartz

to his father and mother and brothers and sisters good buy all

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