In the Feild near Washington DC

July 5^th 1863         

                 

My Dear neice,

I take my pen in hand this dull morning to write a few lines to you as I have had no opertunity of writeing for some time I got a letter from you while on Md Heights but could not get to write to you before as we have had to move a gooddeal lately I am now in good health and in good spirits and hope that these few lines may find you enjoying good health I was very glad on receiving your kind letter for it was so very interesting I would like very much to see you and I think we could have a plesant time together If I had time to answer your letter I might interest you some but I have / had no time to write since I left Berry ville we left there on the 13^th of June and was orderd to winchester the rebels had cut of our retreat by the pike so we had to march annother road which made the distance about 25 miles we had to leave all our tents and camp equipage with 5 days rations which fell into the hands of the rebels they followed us very closely all the way to Winchester and attacted us at the Opequan Creek just as we were crosing the creek the Cavalry that was with us made a charge on them and held them back untill we got into line and got one piece of our artilery to bear on them when our cavalry fell back and they made a charge on us but were repulsed with but little loss on our side we had two killed / and six wounded. there was two of the wounded belonged to our regiment they had several killed and wounded they did not attact us again untill we got to Winchester and we got there about eleven Oclock that night and lie down on the ground close by one of the forts there the most of us had lost our blanketts knapsacks and all the clothing but what was on our backs it rained very hard that night and we were drenched through the next morning we were ordered in to the rifle pitts below the forts to suport Cap^t Alexanders Md Battery it was sunday morning and they comenced to schirmish early in the morning and it began to get heavier as the day advanced about three in the afternoon the rebels got thier position in front of one of our batterys and comenced / to shell it our forces fought bravely but were overpowered by superior numbers as they had about 15 000 men to about 7000 of us and they had plenty of reinforcements to bring up the took the battery at last and turned the guns on the fort that we were at and shelled us till dark we then expected they would make a charge on the fort and our regiment was orderd in to it leaving the 67^th Pa in the rifle pits below but they did not charge on us that night the batterys in both forts were out of amunition and we were ordered to abandon them the guns were spiked and we left there about one oclock on monday morning we were orderd to retreat to harpe Martinsburg if we could or if not to Harpers Ferry we marched out about 4 miles on the pike toward Martinsburg and were attacted 

 

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by a large force with several peices of artilery our regiment was under fire of thier artilery for about an hour but we were partly coverd by a stone fence and thier amunition was not very good as it hapend but they threw a considerable quantity of rail road iron and other missiles at us we then left the pike and turned of into the woods but the rebels tried hard to cut of our retreat but by us marching through the woods and keeping off the main roads we kept prety clear of them but thier cavalry followed us and picked up our tired and worn out boys we had to march some 50 miles that day and got to harpers Ferry that night and / the next day we went across the river to Maryland Heights and was doing duty there untill we were orderd to evacuate the place we lost nearly half the men of our regiment but I do not think there was many of them killed or wounded but they were not able to stand the fatigue of the march and were captured along the road Corporal Johnson Benjamin left the fort the evening before and skedadeled to some safe place but I do not know if he found it or not as we have not herd from him since but I supose he was taken prisoner Hiram & me got of with out a scratch but were very tired indeed on the 30^th of June we were orderd to evacuate Md Heights / and the troops all left in the morning but our brigade I was out on pickett on the morning our regiment was detailed to move off the heavy guns from the forts there when they met with an accident which came nigh resulting in the loss of the whole reg^t as our regiment was at work in the fort at work moveing the guns the artilery men in the fort were destroying the ammunition they had bursted open a great quantity of powder and scattered it about when it got ignited causing three explosions of the shells and amunition in the fort but it was raining very hard at the time and it did not get into the magazine / there was several men killed and a great many wounded but our reg^t had none killed but severall wounded Hiram was in the fort at the time with the regt and was knocked down at the second shock but was not hurt any if the magazine had of blown up it must have killed all the troops on the place but it seems as though we have been spared for some purpose we got the suplys on board the canal boats and started on the night of the first of July for Washington City our Brigade guarded the boats down the canall we rode on the boats all the way and got to Georgetown District Columbia on the morning of the 4^th and stoped there on the /

                                                           

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boats till about one oclock in the afternoon and started out on the road toward Frederick City and marched about 4 miles and have stoped here but I do not no whether we shal stay any longer than to day or not I supose we will have to go up to Frederick to help whip the rebels away out of Md and Pa the papers say that our men are whiping them prety bad up there but I do not know whether it is so or not as I do not believe anything that I hear now about the war and very little I see Annie I got a letter from home about the time I received yours and Hiram got one from Wesley they were all well at / home and Hiram got one from William and Emaline was then getting right well and I believe was out of danger Hiram is well and says that you must excuse him for not writeing to you to day he says he would if he could any way at all but he is tired and we have such a poor chance to write and I do not know now if I can get a chance to send this letter from here or not but I thought I would write and if I could see any chance of sending it I would do it Annie I saw that interesting young man you spoke of belonging to the 8^th Md they left the Heights the day before we did and marched toward Frederick City Annie I want you to tell Sarah that I think she is getting large anough to write to me as I have not herd any thing from her for a / long time I want you all to write as often as you can if I had time I would write to you oftener but I cant get time now I want you to give my love to all the family tell your mother to excuse me for not writeing to her for so long tell her that I have not forgoten her William wrote to me some time ago and he said they were drafting the negroes and the white men all together in the north and he said he suposed that they would camp them all together and would use the negroes the best I thought it prety hard in him writeing me such a taunting letter but I give him about as good as he sent for my part I do not think the government wrong for bringing the blacks / into the field to fight it is better to do that than to let this rebelion run on for years I must now bring my letter to a close by giving my love to you I have writen you a good deal but I do not know wheather you can make much sense of it or not as I am in a hurry and cannot write much sense anyhow this comes with much love to you and I remain your affectionate Uncle George

                                   

to Annie M Monks

           

Direct  6^th regt Md Vol

and do not direct         Inf^t Comp G

any more letters in      Via Washington

care of Capt Christie.                          D.C.

 

PS Annie I wish to know whose initials them were that you put on the back of your letter for if you put them on for yours you hadent them placed altogether right            inquisitive

                                                                                                           

Fare well Annie

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