Eavans Mills NC

Saturday Dec 27 1862

 

Dear Mother

                        I recd your kind letter last Sunday and should have answered it before but have been verry buisy in getting up my reports and in getting the Co payed off. it is now four months since we weare paid and now they have only paid us for Sept & Oct leaving Nov and Dec due us. I sat down and scratched a few lines to Lizzie the day after I got back so that you all might know that I was well but I am affraid that you will have hard work to make anything out of it. I have seen some hard times and many hard sceans since I last wrote to you. many a fine fellow has gone to his long home. among these was Segt Fowler of our Co. he was one that was muched liked by all. he was always full of his fun. he was struck in the head and killed instantly. I was in comand of our Co all the time that we weare gone and of corse I felt verry anxious. it was my first time that I had eaver had comand of a Co in action and the first time that I had eaver been in action with Co A. but every man did is duty and all stood up to it like men. at Kinston we weare orderd to support the 85^th Pennsylvania and had to form our line in a swamp with the water knee deep an the / bushes so thick that we could hardly move. the 85^th behaved verry badly, runing back onto our lines, hiding behind trees and doing every thing that is unsoldierly. we had hard work to keep them from running through our lines and if our boys had not been old hands at it I think that the 85^th would have boken them up but our boys kept calling them cowards and hooting at them and everything eals untill they got so ashamed of it that they went back whare they belonged. I am glad it was not a Mass Regt that behaved so for if it had been I should be ashamed to oun that I belonged to the state. at White Hall, the place where we had our second fight, we weare ordered into a small piece of woods to support the 17^th Mass we formed our line of battle on the edge of the woods and marched in with our colors flying. thoes that saw it say that they neaver saw a Regt on prade behave better than our did on the battle field, and it was no easy work to form a line of battle whare the bullets wear comeing as thick as hail. but every man knew his place and took it and what is more kept it untill he was wounded or ordered some whare eals. I had one man killed (Segt Fowler) and eight wounded, but thanks be to God & his goodness and mercy I was not hurt not eave scratched. Oh how thankful I ought to be for all his goodness. we had a hard time in marching as many of the men were out their shoes before we had been gone six days and after that they had to / go in thier stocking feet or bare footed. at the fight at Gouldsborough we weare not engaged but our whole Brigade was held in reserve in case that we should be wanted. we reached Gouldsborough about eleaven oclock and before three we had turned about and begun our return home.

 

we are now at our old place Eavans Mill but I do not expect that we shall stay long as I expect annother expidition before long, but whare it will be I dont know. When we went away we left Mrs B. quite sick but she has got nicely now and is as gay as a lark. it is verry warm to day theare is a warm rain falling I am sitting in my room with no fire and both windows open but I must close with my love to you and all ours I am

                                                                                                           

You affecnoate Son

Richard

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