No 3 in Va

Hd Qurs 38^th Wis Vol

In the field Aug 24-64.

 

My Dear Friends.

                        You have most likely heard of the late movements made on the Weldon R.R. and of the desperate efforts of the rebels to retake it and of their bloody repulse.

 

            To give you an idea of the importance and magnitude I will give of this movement and work I will give you a detailed account of what we did and help do.

 

            On saturday Friday night the 19 we received orders to march at 3 A.M. the 20. started at the appointed time and marched around the extream left of our old line & then joined onto Warrens (5) Corps & went into camp as reserve / we reached our position about 8 A.M. marched about 9 miles. it rained hard all the morning & during the day. about 2 P.M. heavy fireing commenced right on the flank of the 5 Corps & just to our right. we were ordered into line & advanced to the relief of the 5 Corps. The truth was the rebels did not know we were there & they would had completely flanked the 1^st Division of the 5 Corps. by the movement we made we struck the rebs in the flank & routed them with small loss. they fell back & we drove them beyond the 5 Corps line & then we marched by the left flank to them where the left after a hard fight, chargeing & resisting charges all the afternoon & evening untill 11 P.M., the rebs fell back & we held our old lines & advanced almost a mile further on. This was done on Friday afternoon when you all were at home enjoying the quiet / time reading, thinking & sleeping little dreaming that we were resisting a most determined effort of the rebels to drive us from this position. The loss in my Company was small, 2 or 3 missing. we layed all night in the front line. next morning the 20 (Saturday) we layed in line, doing nothing but pick up arms & bury the dead. Saturday night we fell back to the works that the troops that were in reserve had thrown up during the day. it commenced to rain & kept it up all night. at 3 A.M. Sunday morning we were up and in line. we moved over so that our lines crossed the rail road. here we commenced to build works & tear up the road. we worked hard for we expected the rebels would make another effort to retake the road. We did not have to wait long before the skirmishing between the pickets became generall. still we worked away the Generall commanding our brigade / working with us. soon we knew that the rebels were makeing another flank movement on our left—this time instead of on our right—we fell into line as quickly as possible & got behind our half constructed works soon the rebel shell began to fly fast. by their position they could throw shells in our rear, flank, & front so our works did us no good only from the front fire. the shells from our flank came right in our ranks. I never saw them fall so thick as they did there. I can give you only a short account of this fight, only as far as my recollection goes & that is far enough of the kind, one shell first. I was laying just behind my Company, so I was next to the rear rank. one shell came over I saw it comeing with lightning speed right for my head (so I thought) I could not dodge, could do nothing but remain motionless. in a second—less time than I can think of—every thing was dark before me. I turned my head & / heard the shell strike with a dull sound in my Company & burst—I looked—& oh what a sight shall I describe it as I saw it for a minute—and then every thing was as blank to me. I saw one man next to me, the first the shell hit with his head taken off as far as the lower jaw, his brains & blood spattering me full in the face. next was one of my Company (this first one belonged to the 15 New York) it struck him in the left breast & burst litterally tearing him to pieces—the poor fellow never knew what hurt him. one peice of the shell hit one of my sergents in the side cuting his back clear across. he lived about half of an hour. another other peices hit my men but only one peice proved fatal. a young man by name of Drake it hit. he was brought back & died yesterday. as for myself I dont remmember any thing except seeing the fearfull work done & ordering men to carry them to the rear.

 

            I was stuned by the concussion & force of the shell passing so close / to my head. What I tell you now is what was told me by one of my men and the officers there. They say that as soon as I saw or turned my head I asked the Col. if I could send these men to the rear, and then I helped to take one out as I did that I stook up & then fell over as if shot. what they did I dont know but they carried me to the rear & I was carried in an ambulance to the Hospital, where the first thing I recollected was our Surgeon with two of my men was rubbing my temples & breast with liquor & watter. They gave me something which made me feel easier, and the first words I remmember was the doctor asked me if I knew him, but I could not make a loud noise they got me under the influence of [blank]

 

when after a while I began to talk after that, I began to feel better, so now I can walk around a little, but not much. If I go far my head / whirls & every thing looks black so I have to stop & sit down. I can sit up but a short time as I feel as week as if I had been sick a year. What worries me most is some one took my sword off from me when they was taking me back & I cannot find it. I am not staying with the Regiment now am back to the rear about half of a mile. I did not want to stay in the hospital as I will be well enough to take command of my company in a short time & I want to stay night near them so if they move I can go with them. The report is this afternoon that our Corps goes back to our old position again.

 

            Well I am tired out. I have had to rest about a dozen times since I commenced this. I have set up the longest this afternoon since I was hurt, or rather knocked down.

 

            The result of the fight you have heard by this time, we drove / the rebels, captured Brig Gen R. E. Lee (a son of the Comdg Gen Lee) & his whole Brigade, two or three rebel Cols.

 

our loss was not very severe as might be expected but it was enough. my Co loss was 3 killed and 3 wounded besides myself all by one shell. then add to this1 killed out of the 15 New York and two wounded out of another Company & you can see what these shells do—4 killed 6 wounded total 10—by one shell, & that only from a field battery (3 inch). what would a 10 inch mortar shell do? Well I must close I recd papers & letter on the morning of the fight. Stamps & money both recd. You can tell Alice M that I did not get my head smashed, but came so near it that there was no fun in it, prehaps can do better next time.

My love to all the folks & best respects to all who enquire. write soon & often—good bye

 

            Yours as ever  Frank Phelps

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