Camp Aquia Creek, Va
May the 8th 1863
My Dear Wife
I am thankful for the privelage of writing to you once more. We got a mail last knight. I received three letters from you. We left here a weak ago last Monday and got back last knight. We are about a mile from our old camp. We have had a verry hard time and a hard battle. We started Monday the 27th. We went by Staferd Courthouse and encamped about eight miles beyond. Tuesday morning we started as soone as it was light. Tuesday knight we staied about two miles from Keleys Ford. Wensday morning we crost the river at the ford. We marched from there to the Rapidan River. There we took 50 or 60 prisoners. We crosed the Rapidan Wensday knight and staid on the other side until morning. Thursday we marched all day. We had a plank road to march on. Our cavelry skirmished some all day. About four oclock we was formed in line of battle for the first but we found no rebs. Friday we lay still untill about eleven and then we advanced. We dident go far before the shells began to come and our batery opend and they had quite an artilery fight. We lay in the woods. The way the times flew wasent slow. We fell back and the eney advanced. We stoped on a hill. Our compeny and compeny A was thrown out for skermishes. We was out untill ten in the evening and we was brought in and began to build breastworks. We worked most all the knight. Sadurday afternoone the ball opend again. Commenced about four and it lasted untill nine in the evening. O Charlotte how they did fight. They attacted on our right and left. The eleventh corps was on our right and they broke and they took one of our batteries and they got in the rear of us and the 12th corps sufered. But Sunday we had the hotest time. They commenced before sunrise and the way the shells flew wasend slow. We lay in our entrenchments. Our regt was one of the advance and so them that was in our rear had to do the musketry fighting. There was a peice of a shell hit Dudley Messereau and killed him. He was about six feet from me. He never knew what hurt him. It went through his head. We was obliged to leave there and we guest got out in time for the eney was closeing in on us but how the bulets did whirel when we raised up. There was a lot of sharp shooters in front. They lay in the brush and they fired on us from one way and their battery from the other but our men got our battery back and another with it and such slaughter(?) I dont believe ever was done. They had the worst of it. They must have lost three to our one but we lost enough. They cept on fighting untill eleven. We went back in the woods in a hallow to make some coffee and they see the smoke and oh how they did throw the grape and canister and shel. They come like a shower of hail. We was obliged to leave there so we dident get a chance to make coffee untill after dark. We losed five men out of our compeny one killed and one wounded and the rest was on picet and we dont know what become of them. Our mager was wounded. Generel Geary was wounded.
on another sheet
We held our positon there. The rebels fell back and our army began to croose the river. The twelft corps was the last that crosed. We crosed Wensday morning just at day light. We crosed at the United States ford. We had a hard ten days work. We are all about tierd out. They marched us so hard the most of the boys threw away their blankets. I threw my overcoat and there was two men that droped dead the second day but we supprised the rebels terebly. I cant tell how meney men we lost but I heard our loss was ten thousent and the eneys thirty thousent. I know there was a terabel slaughter but we was verry lucey. We losed betweene fifty and sixty our of our regt. O Charlotte how hard it looks to see so meney men fall. Some with their heads off and legs and armes off and some are all torne to peices. The rebels fight verry despately. They are all drunk on whisky and gunpowder. There has ben a hard battle and I dont know as it has done eney good. We are all back acrosed the river. The report is that our men have got Vicksburg. I hope it is true but they are a hard set to fight. We dont expect to stay here long. It is rhumerd that the twelfth corps is going to Washington. I hope we will. I havent ben well. I had a hard cold before we started. I lost my speech. I have just got so I can make a loud noise. I cough I great deal but it haint to be wandered at the way we had to lay around. We have cold knights here and it has ben wet and rainy for the last four days. The knight we left to croose the river we was coled up at nine and we dident start until after three. We wasent but a little wais from the river. I dont know where they will fight the next battle but I hope this unjust war will be settled without eney more such fighting as was done last weak but we cant tell how it will go. I have woured a great deal about you. I had to leave camp without a letter but I got them all last knight and in one of them I see a diferent handwriting and when I read it I felt better right off but how I would like to come home and see my little boy just as we wanted it. If I could onely be home to take care of you and the little ones. I was verry glad to hear that you was quite smart. If you onely ceep on gaining and not have eney pullbacks. O Dear Charlotte how I would like to come home. I want to see you and the little boy so bad. Poore little Matie what does she say. How does she like it. It dont hardly seam posable that it is so but the worst is to be seperated espeshly in a time like this. You must excuse this writing. I have writen it in a great hurry. I will write again Sunday. I think I will get a letter tomorrow. I send my love to you and all. So good buy Dear Charlotte.
Charles