One of the Best Descriptive Letters of Battle we Have Offered
One of the Best Descriptive Letters of Battle we Have Offered – Inventory Number: DOC 381
The two most exciting events in my army life.
I participated in general McLellan‘s Peninsula campaign. Held the rank of Sergeant in a battery of regulars, (Capt. Ayers) and during the retreat from before Richmond, there was more or less fighting the day and marching during the night. We arrived at a place called White Oak swamp. My battery was formed in line of battle early in the morning, but there was no enemy insight. We strained our eyes looking to the front and grew weary looking. The sun shown bright and hot, and the men got sleepy, sought any little shade, they could find behind a real fence close by and snatched a little rest, which was at the time most desired. There was a farmhouse in the rear of the battery where the officers took comfort as best they could. The day wore on and had reached noon before anything appeared to disturb or propose, but about 12:30 or one I heard the report of a gun, jumped up, shaded, and strained my eyes to discover the location of the gun and calculate the distance, and to my surprise, I saw batteries amongst trees and bushes where I never would have looked for them. My gun was loaded, and I called for my men to attend to their duty, but most of them hugged the ground and tried to evade the shelves which were bursting about our heads like hailstones, and by shouting and scolding obtained a few men to serve the gun.
I think, commenced firing and confidence was instantly restored to the scared troopers, for all of a sudden I had about 20 men around me, willing to do all they could for our defense. I drove them away and told them that they’re only safety is to do their duty at their proper places, and that we must silence those batteries, Else we would all be destroyed. The men obeyed and we all kept on firing for some minutes before we saw any officer or heard any word of command, and when they appeared, the order came to cease firing, and go to the rear. For the first time I had chance now to look around and observe What had happened at other points of the line of battle, and I saw horses running about with cannons or limbers without any drivers and men running away from their guns to seek individual safety in the woods. Such a disorder I had never seen before or after, and was certainly not credible to any troops, but I must not omit to state that my battery had only four or five old soldiers, and the remainder were a little better than recruits of, but a few months service. If hell is horrible I cannot imagine it to be worse than the surprise I have described. One of my horses had several flesh wounds, but was not disabled, none of the men got hurt.
The second battle of Fredericksburg was fought by the sixth Army core under command of General Sedgwick at the same time hookers army fought Lee at Chancellorsville. The line of battle was formed at daylight in rear of Fredericksburg, facing the hill, called Marie’s Heights, created by a line of fortifications. The firing commenced about eight or nine in the morning at a bugle signal sounded in the confederate line and understood by both armies. I singled out for my target, a fort in front of a little brick house, which I later learned to be a school house. The gunners at that for soon discovered my intentions, and returned the compliments by sending missile after missile, but overshot the mark, until I had received the order to limber up when a shell dropped and burst it in front of my gun and wounded two of my men, small bullets passing through the flashy parts of their thighs. They both recovered after spending a few weeks in a hospital. To cease firing during a hot contest, generally means to take up a new position, or seek safety in flight, but this time it meant something, which I thought was never intended for the artillery and might have proved the loss of the battery, for it was to make a charge on the enemies works in support of the infantry. We galloped up a steep hill, amongst stumps of trees, reached the top about the same time with the infantry and prevented the enemy who had taken to flight from forming a new line of battle. The little brick house was a shelter for their sharp shooters and they used some Artillery to dislodge us, but we were flushed with victory and in high glee to make our war dogs bark. Somehow that gun recognized me quickly again and sent me compliment after compliment. At one time, just as I stooped to aim, I felt the wind of a missile, turned my head quickly, heard a tut and saw the torn form of a man about 6 feet up in air directly in rear of me. That was intended for me but a kind Providence directed otherwise. Charles roller battery F, 5th U. S. Artillery.
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Inventory Number: DOC 381