150 Years Ago (1864 9/9)

Clifton Farm, Va. Sept. 9^th, 1864.

Dear Cousin:-

Here I am, just about 1 ½ miles north of Berryville, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. I promised to write to you when in Washington, but have had so much to do that until within the past two weeks have had time to write to anyone, except my wife. I will give you a history of our movements since joining the regiment. Passed the Casey Board in Washington as first Lieut. for colored troops June 12^th, went to Camp Distribution June 14^th, drew arms and equipment that night (mine had been turned over at Brattleboro) next morning took a transport for Bermuda Hundred, reached there the third day after leaving Alexander. We went to City Point and the 6^th Army Corps had just crossed the Potomac and were in front of Petersburgh. Went up there and reported June 20^th for the places I shall mention. I will refer you to Leslie’s Illustrated Paper for Sept. 10^th.

After reporting to Army Headquarters and Corps headquarters & Division Headquarters we were sent to Brigade Headquarters and went down the line of Norfolk Railroad. You will see there a small stream; the banks of the stream were high. Found troops lying close up under the bank to protect themselves from the shells that were flying promiscuously all round. That was the smartest shelling that I have ever experienced. Crossed the stream under the rail road bridge and took the line of the road on the bank. There was a cut there and for the first time heard the minies sing. They came from the rifles of sharp shooters and we went into the cut of the road and came to the Headquarters in a hold in the bank. Henry Baxter had just been hit right at the hole but not in it. Was then sent to the Regiment which lay on the bank of the stream mentioned the men all lying in holes that they had dug to protect themselves from the shell. There were no more of them thrown that day. That night we went over to relieve a part of the 2d Corps, lay there all night and the next day were under a fire of musketry fire all day. Had one man killed in the regiment just before night the rebs commenced shelling us. Our batteries opened and the rebs dried up. Our lines were about 30 rods apart. That night we marched over to the left. The next we had some skirmishing and spent the night near the railroad; next day tore up the railroad track. It was there that the 11^th and 4^th Regiments got into the sled and had so many prisoners taken. We lost no men either killed or wounded, thanks to the precautions of Col. Hale. That night went back to the left and were engaged in throwing breast works, were marched back and forth; still on the left that line turned back so as to protect City Point, it faced the South East. You will see on the map referred to these two small streams over there. We were between them most of the time on what is known as the Harrison Plantation. There Willson returning from his raid over to the Danville rail road, got his cavalry into a tight place from the rebel Infantry, and sent a scout through to our lines for help. Our corps were sent down, had a slight skirmish, the rebs skedaddled, we took a few prisoners, Willson got out, we threw up breast works, tore up the track for a few miles and came back. The most of the time after that we were doing picket duty on what is called the Jerusalem road and down to the stream I spoke of. It was the main stream. There we intersected with Burnside’s Colored Troops.

On the night of July 9^th the 1^st and 2d Divisions of our Corps started for Washington, the 3d had gone to Baltimore. We reached Washington on the 12^th. Part of the boys got in the night before. All went to fighting almost in the streets of Washington. On the first night had a smart skirmish. One of our boys after the fight hullooed to the rebs “How are you, rebs?” “I am here, Yank.” “Well, how do you like the style of the 6^th Corps?” “Oh, damn the 6^th Corps, if it had not been for you we would have had Washington, you are everywhere in the morning.” A part of our regiment were sent out as skirmishers and we went out about four miles, took a good many prisoners. I was left as guard over some of them, found an old acquaintance from Georgia, there is always the best of feelings. Talk of the North and South never agreeing, they never agreed so well, chat as sociably as men ever do, share water and tobacco, yes and if one or the other is short of rations divide. I have never seen a prisoner but what was anxious for peace on any terms.

At Washington [illegible] was placed in command of our army for the defense of Washington and then commenced our grief. Started from Washington at about sun down, had no supper, marched all night, stopped once and made some coffee and ate a little hard bread, got to Oxfords Cross Roads at about sunrise, stopped for breakfast, had just started a fire when we had to fall in, and did not stop again until 11 o’clock, then stopped and made coffee and got some meat fried and rested one hour, and then went on and on to Poolsville, which we reached by 3 o’clock P.M. There we came up with the rebs; they were just getting a battery in position as we came up, they left in a hurry. There we lay all day and gave the rebs a good chance to cross the river. In the morning we started up the river and crossed the river at Whites Ford and then marched towards Leesburgh reached and passed three miles that night, up with the rebs again so we laid over one day. Then we passed through Snicker’s Gap. There was fighting at the river our corps not engaged. We laid still all the next day, in the afternoon of the next day crossed the Shenandoah and came up almost where we are now, then a little after dark crossed the river again, did not give time to wring our feeting, gravel in our shoes grinding our toes all the time, marched all night and next forenoon, when we reached Leesburgh without eating and without feet. I stood it pretty well, my feet are pretty hard meated, but there were many that were awful. All this marching was purposeless and all the officers and privates knew it. We crossed Goose Crek, a few miles from Leesburgh towards Washington, and in two days we were at Tenalleytown. There we laid nearly four days. The 6^th Corps had diminished 6,000 since leaving City Point and had not two hundred killed and wounded. There were a few stragglers picked up by Moseby and his men and but few. Then we started kiteing again Gen. Wright, Gen. Ricketts being our Corps commander for the time being. We went three miles from Harpers Ferry west, stayed one night, then back to Frederick City, marching in the hottest part of the day, and lying still in the cool of the day.

One Sunday, that will never be forgotten by those that made the march, we started at 9 o’clock A.M. And went into camp near Frederick at 3 o’clock P.M. Hundreds died from sun stroke that day and many more went to the hospitals, and will never more be the men they were before. We [illegible] Monocuey Mills (pronounced Mon-noc-cy). There we stayed three days, good water, plenty of it and a fine stream to bathe in. Then we took the cars, came to Harpers Ferry again, and Gen. Sheridan was placed in command of the Middle Department, embracing Western Virginia, this Valley, Maryland, and Washington. Early pulled in his horns pretty quick, thought he was the strongest, followed him through the Valley to Strasburgh, had some skirmishing up there – for a view there refer to the same paper as before, the skirmishing fancy, the rest very correct. A part of Longstreet Corps undertook to cut us off came up from Richmond, passed through Monocuey’s Gap, got whipped by the cavalry, we then came back through Middletown, Newtown to Winchester, from there back over this road to Charlestown where we stopped several days. Our division there fought the rebels all day, they trying to get a position, we to prevent them. They got it once but we hustled then out pretty quick. Our regiment lost thirty men killed and wounded. Col. Hale was wounded and Major Dwinnell, Major Dwinnell since dead. Our Regiment is now under the command of Capt. Davis of this company. That night we fell back to Hall Town about three miles from the Ferry. There was almost constant fighting while we staid there, sometimes on the right flank, sometimes on the left, and sometimes on the river higher up, but Sheridan is here now, can’t foolish him. The Johnnie Rebs get the worst every time for all their fights, and the one at Winchester with our rear guard. I will refer you to the papers, Early trying us on every possible shape and meeting with no success fell back, we followed up to Charlestown again one Sunday (had a frost while there) pretty well, for Virginia lost. Saturday came here, had a sharp fight, our division not in line, all night in the rain expecting to be called upon, did not sure if there is any prospect of doing good, everything has gone well under Sheridan. We have had hard marching, but it was always to some purpose and there was no grumbling nor straggling. Since we came here we have fortified the position.

My health has been extremely good, have always kept my file in the march. There was about a week that I was quite unwell. It was from the 21^st of August to the 26^th. I worked pretty hard on the 21^st, and perhaps you will ask if I ran so hard as to make me sick. Should not like to own it. You know, so will say nothing about it. Was sick anyway, but as good luck would have it lay still. Am all right now, can cook, eat green corn, beans shelled apples raw, stoned, fried beef, pork, hard bread. Want some flour to make griddle cakes of, and then we should be all right. Oh yes, want some onions very badly, have not drawn any but once since we came down from Petersburgh, and they are not good here. We have not drawn potatoes but once since we came by here, and it has been so dry that there are no bottoms found. The other day a patch of sweet potatoes looked nice, but there was nary potato. Many of the boys bring in sheep, hogs, and the best part of the Beeves. I only take corn and beans and such things from large fields. Never go into a poor woman’s garden; my heart is too soft towards them, if they are secesh, to take from a woman or children, but where there is plenty, I take what I want to eat. This valley is pretty well stripped. It is a beautiful country. Bears no resemblance to the South I have heretofore known. The springs are very large, the water pure, and good. There are some stones, but none too many. There is not a pine from Harper’s Ferry to Cedar Creek, or any variety of the timber that we at the North call “soft.” On the Creek are plenty of Cedars (Red) some quite large.

Atlanta has fallen, Richmond must come. The rebellion must be crushed. No man ought to live this side of the Canada line that talks anything else. Have been a little fearful of the people of the North, but what I have heard from Vermont teaches me not to doubt the people. There is one thing that I do not like. Why do they not send out a better class of recruits. It appears as if they thought anything that they could get through the surgeons hands by hook or crook would fill up their quota, and that was all that was necessary, that is not my sort of patriotism. As you know, it is hard to be absent from family and friends, but what are they without a country. As we lay here awhile the other day exposed as we were to flank fire, a peace democrat, a half of man, a McClellan man, said to me, he lying up snug under the crest of the hill I behind him, and as often as twice in a minute a ball passing about a foot from my head. They all passed near the same place, some a little higher or lower, “well Blake, what do you think of peace now?” I told him that if the next ball passed through my head and I lay there dead, that peace democrats were the cause of every shot that passed, and pointing to a dead man that lay near us “such as you are his murderer.” Our guns at that time were so foul that we could not get a ball down. We were soon relieved by some of the 2d Regt boys that had not been in, and cleaned out guns and went in again, that nasty place where those flank shots

[it appears that the next page in the letter went missing somewhere between 9/9/64 and when the typing took place]