Camp Suffolk

                                                                                                            February 1 1863

 

Dear Sister

                        as I have a few leasure moments I will wright a few lines to you we have just come in from one of the Bloodiest seans that I ever saw we was a lurted from our cozy [?] Bunks on Friday morning at 3 oc by the rore of cannons which farley shook the ground and we was ordered to fall in to line of Battle/ and marched to the field of Battle the night was dark but the flash of guns maid it light the groans of the wounded was auful and the sent of the powder and stench of Blood was enough to sicken any one the dead Horses lay all over the ground. the to oposing armies was about 50 rods apart and we could here there oficers urging there men to stand firm but our Balls was to thick for them after hard fighting for 8 hours they/ fell back about 1 mile and maid another stand but as soon as we got our artilery to bare on them they gave way and left for the other side of the River being hotley persued by our troops they tried to cary off there dead and wounded but being to hotley persued they was obliged to leave a part of them it was the most Hartrending sean that I ever saw to sea those that were kiled some of them were all torne to peises and/ we had to rap them up in a Blanket in order to keep them together one little Drummer Boy had his Head shot off some had there legs shot off and some there arms most of our Troop behaved good and prooved them selves brave men the 176 Pensulvany Regiment falterd and there Colonel was badley wounded in urging them to come up his Horse was shot from under him and he mounted an other and tolde his men that he had rather be

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