Bill Touson's Stone House V^a

Near Stafford Court House

Sunday, May 10^th 1863—

 

Dear Father

                        Your's of April 28^th reached me yesterday. I expected to find some correspondence awaiting me on my return from the far south, and was not at all disappointed. We have got quietly settled in our old camp and except that a little sadness is visible in the countenances of the men at the loss of their comrades, everything is very natural to us. We (the whole Reg.) last night came on picket for twenty-four hours, about three miles from camp. The Major (now commanding the Reg. in absence of Lt. Col. who was taken prisoner) the Adjutant, my 1^st Lieut. and myself now mess together. So the Major arranged it so that we four could be together on the picket line and we made this house our head quarters. We brought out our provisions and cook, got one of the negro women here to help about preparing the meals, slept in beds and awaked this morning to find a delightful quiet Sabbath morning, in a house—no Inspection—no drums and not a thread of canvass visible It is the pleasantest day I have spent since I have been in the service. This day differs materially from a week ago to day. On that day the bloodiest battle of the war was fought. Not more than two corps were engaged at one / time, but for determined fighting, and wholesale slaughter, it beat anything before it. Our Brigade was in a very exposed place, and suffered more than any in the corps. I have mentioned before, that our Reg lay in their trenches for a long time after the Rebel Battery began to play right into us. We should have been ordered to fall back half an hour before we did, had not Col Ross been wounded slightly in the leg, and compelled to go to rear. Staying so long under fire from that Battery, and then having to retreat after our troops had given away on our right, and the Rebs advanced in their place, we suffered severely, in killed, wounded and missing i.e. prisoners. While in the trenches, our Reg did good execution. We were entirely hid from view, and two Regiments advanced towards us, unconscious of our nearness. When they had almost reached the trenches, we raised up, and poured a volley into them, which, repeated as the living ran back, left but a corporal's guard. left. This was tried again, by fresh troops, and they met with a similar fate. We literally mowed them down. Had the troops on our right (the 11^th Corps—Cowards all!) and the Regs on our left, held their ground, we could have repelled any amount of Infantry that could have been brought against us. The 11^th Corps broke and fled in dismay—the battery was too much for the men on our left, and we found ourselves alone, and farther in front than any Reg in the whole army. Up to this point Col. Wooster had been cool and brave, exceeding the expectations of us all, / but the present emergency was too much for him, and instead of marching his command off in good order, and without causing excitement and panic in his ranks, he yelled (but not so as to be heard on the left) "They are flanking us—we must retreat". The result was that he was taken prisoner, and perhaps killed—No one saw him after he started; and every man took his own course to the rear. I considered it a rout, and was resolved Co H. should not be in it. So I rallied those who had started, and marched them, together with what I could pick up from other companies, and marched the whole in the opposite direction, to the left, and took a position on what I considered a defensible hill. We began firing at the Rebs as they swarmed out of the woods, and by some brisk shooting and brisker yelling held the whole of them in check for some minutes, killing a great many. About this time a Rebel Sergeant stepped out in front of his men, and we stopped firing on seeing him wave a white rag. He then said (he was within two rods of me) "You needn't fire any more"—Said I "And why not?" "Because you are ours". Said I, "Throw down that gun and come here". "Can't see that" "Then put up that rag—Fire boys" At this he raised his gun and took deliberate aim at me, but before he could fire, my boys dropped him. About this time the brave Lieut Griffiths of Co. F. who volunteered to fight under my command, was standing at my elbow, encouraging the men. I turned to him, and said something to him, about / what I wanted him to do, looked the other way just for a moment, and when I turned my head that way again, he lay stretched at my feet. That sight is more vivid in my mind than any of the day. He lay upon his back his legs and arms extended, his sword grasped in his right hand, face as natural as life itself and eyes looking up into heaven. I stooped down and shook his arm, saying, "Grif, are you wounded?" but his motionless silence, and a bullet-hole exactly in the center of his forehead told me he would never speak again. I had no time to take his valuables, which friends at home would value so highly as mementoes, but turned away to see how more important matters were progressing.

 

            It was while bending over him, that a bullet went through my over and undercoat sleeves. The shot that killed him, and the one which so nearly killed me were not chance shots, and I began to see that sharpshooters were at work. My men began to fall fast, the enemy were coming upon us from three sides in great numbers, and I then thought if any of us escaped being taken prisoners it was time to be at work. Then I spied a Union flag about an eighth of a mile ahead and I gave the order to make for that, but not stop firing. We had taken 25 or 30 prisoners, and with these we started. How the bullets whistled! What sights I saw! Men with no heads—no arms—no legs—men with bowels protruding—with holes right through their bodies and mangled in every possible way, were strewed upon the ground in the most horrid disorder. It was impossible, without the greatest caution to step far without treading on some dead or dying man. As we advanced we retook / some of our own Reg who had been taken by the Rebs. We at length joined the 60^th N.Y. who carried the flag I spoke of, and we formed with them. I found I had, I think it was 10 men left when I got out. It was running this gauntlet that I got the shot upon the head. I have suffered no inconvenience whatever from it, and it is healing up rapidly. Some of my Co. as I have told you, retreated with the reg. and some had been detailed to guard wagon trains &c. I had before the fight, 67 men present, and now I have 31. Our ranks will soon be filled up with conscripts, some prisoners will be returned and we shall be in fighting trim again. I have been thus minute in regard to my own personal experience, because you will get an idea of the general battle from the papers, whereas, my individual part of it will not have any heralding though I believe I have been favorably mentioned in reports. What the papers may say of the result of the fight I do not know, but you must not believe anything which shows would indicate that we have been whipped or are demoralized. It is true we have not gained as much advantage as we hoped to when we started. But the blows we dealt the Rebs will last a long time, and followed up by more of the same sort and under more favorable circumstance, will produce glorious results. You at home must remember / in the first place, that we were in the enemy's own country, of which they know every sheep path, and we but very little; next that we were five miles from the river, where a small force could have cut off our communications and annihilated our army; next, that we have tried the strength of all the Rebel army in this part of Secessia—Lee, Hill, Longstreet and Stonewall Jackson (I saw the last-named general) were all against us; next, that we gave them such a pull that it has since transpired that Lee telegraphed to Richmond that unless he had reinforcements he couldn't hold out 3 days longer; next that in the whole engagement we didn't lose but about 11000 men, and slew put 20000 hors du combat; next, that we didnt lose a wagon and captured any quantity; next, that Stoneman made the most brilliant cavalry raid of the war, going within two miles of Richmond & making sad work with several important railroads; and finally, that our army while their army is well used up and worn out ours is in good condition, in the best spirits and ready to up and at them again, fully believing that the next time will be the last. Above all things, the good people of the North must not despond and grumble, but keep a good heart and send along the conscripts.

 

            We have orders to keep three days cooked rations constantly on hand, and are liable to be off again at a moment's notice. I am not at all afraid to go into another battle, for I shall never see sharper fighting than that of a week ago to day. / At that time I didn't feel one pang of fear, and was only anxious about the result. Now I am willing to suffer wounds, nay to lay my life down, if the death of this cursed Rebellion may be hastened. Now I want to be in at that death! it is coming. I never was more impressed with the idea that the end is speedily coming, than at this moment. The prudence and skill which moved us back across the river, (which was rising rapidly), without the loss of a man, will soon lead us on to certain victory, I believe it! I shall be there—You will have a son there—or at least you can glory in his honorable death. You have not yet had to blush for the Captain—Thank Heaven for that! I shall try to do my duty in future. With much love to all at home, I remain

 

Your aff son

Charlie—

 

They say I'm going to have a little bald place on the side of my head. That will be funny, won't it? Nothing from Gen. Harland. I guess he is busy—I'm in no great hurry to leave Co H.

C

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