Va.

                                                                                                Camp near Frederickburg

                                                                                                            May 16^th          ’63

 

Dear Parents,

                                    We are still on the same ground or near it that we occupied when my last letter was written all is quiet with us, no shots are made between us and the rebs, and there is nothing whatever to interest us except news from home or now and then a flag of truce which passes from fr one army to the other down at the crossing in front of the city. I suppose all communications pass here. I believe my last letter was written the day we went over the river here or the morning of the next/At night of the 3^d we came back over this side—what there was over there of our regiment or rather of our brigade, and the next day two companies of the 15^th crossed again and one of them ours. Lay in the city all day deployed at ten paces on the sidewalk of Main Street watching the fortifications which early in the morning were retaken by the rebs from the few thousand of our men there. Sedgwick went on as soon as night came, and left us to hold the heights, our division consisting of not more than six or 8 thousand men, half of whom were over this side on one duty or another, so that we had hardly enough men to form a line of skirmishers outside the works. So when the large rebel force came in between Sedgwick & us on the left it was but a few minutes work for them to take the hill, and our men had to fall back and merely held the line round the city which was also more than they could have done if the rebel force had come down to the attack. If they had come down the mass of our men would have been driven back through the city and would have recrossed the river and the pontoons would have been swung round in all probability before all got over. We would necessarily have been the last to leave Main Street and fall back to the river and probably should have found the bridge swung round and that we/could swim & take our chance or be prisoners, for the general would not run the risk of having the rebs get possession of the bridge and cross—not to save a whole regiment. Consequently we felt no little anxiety all the long day, lest the reb general take the notion into his head to make a swoop down upon us, and we get into Richmond a good deal sooner than desirable. But the day wore off and the night and after light in the morning but while the mist hid all our movements we fell back toward the river a short distance and formed line across a street to repel any advance of rebs from the lower end of the city. Soon all was “good and ready” to shorten our line and we faced to the river moved back 30 rods faced to the rebs and again sat down awaiting them. In that way we fell back until we reached within 30 rods of the river then we double quicked it down to the bank, crossed over & were all right and the pontoons were swung round to the other bank and unlashed at leisure.

SOURCES