Pittsburg landing, Camp Shiloh, tenn April 13..62

 

Dear wife and dear children i am yet a live thank god and unharmed by lead or cannon no dout you have herd of this aufal battle or will before you get this. the reason that i have have not written sooner is be cause the mean rebbels got my paper ink portfolio wach stamps and lots of other trinkets well what of that compaired with life O Ruth i had joy of seeing my brother Selden S Scoville ride up to my tent door yesterday he came with a bord of Seargents of Cincinati they started thursday and arived here Sunday they came to take of the wounded and sick. his health is not good but better than mine he rather thought i had better go home on a sick furlo but i told him that i thought i would be able for duty in a few days and i still think so i was getting along first rate and was able for lite duty was on picket gard with the rest of our company friday nite it rained some that nite we slept soundly in our tents Saturday nite but Sunday nite the rebbels slept in them. well i will try to give you a brief sketch of one of the bloodey battles fought on this continant they took us on suprise altho prisioners that we had taken toled us that we would be attacted Satur or Sunday. well they made the attact ½ past 6 Sunday morning some 2 milds from our camp with a force said to be one hundred and eighty thousand our side was 60 or 70 thou our men was campt 5 milds back and 4 milds / wide from the river back our reg was immediately formed in line of battle the 46 Ohio from Columbus was campt next us they tryed to cut our forces in two but did not suceed altho our three reg was sepperated from our main boddy well they flanke out on us at 9 oclock then we fell back to the woods in good order stopt at an old field half mild off gave them a round or too and then flanked round in the woods untill we got to joine of our forces then we was put in a hot place by Gen Grant our three reg of infantry held their ground for two hours gainst three times number and lots of cannon to boot we fit laying down behind logs or trees or brush or stumps the enemy done the same the cannon balls would cut down limbs and small trees among us the rifle balls and grape and cannister flew thick and fast like hail over our prostrated bodys and clink clink against the logs and trees we was to hot for them in there senter so they flanked and got us in a horse shoe then we had to retreat toards the river they cut us bad on the retreat it was a gauntlet i have no fancy to run again then we went to the river and suported a batry untill dark i tell you our heavy guns on land and the gun boats make the earth fairly shake we stilled there artilery at dark we was reinforced thank god at 5 oclock then we was rained on part of the nite and also monday nite i was not able to go on the field monday so i asisted the wounded the fite commenced at day lite and at dark the enemy was drove 5 milds from our camps. our com loss was 5 kiled 10 wounded 5 prisioners i have seen the Elephant so i guess i will come home as soon as i can conveniently John G Scoville

 

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i received a letter from you and lol yesterday it was written 2 days before this [?] slaughter of humanity

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