Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1861-07-31
Letter from I'd Regiment.
CAMP NEAR cENTERvILLE, Va. !

doubtful whether this letter can be sent TO
Washington very soon. Yesterday about
noon some Of our advanced regiments We're
drawn into an ambascade where the rebels
had masked battery and several thousand
men. This was in some very heavy timber
where the underbrush was very thick and
they had felIed trees before it and so fortified
their position that it was impossible to see
either their guns or men. When the hring
commenced our nainarmy, some fifteen or
twenty thousand men, were lying IN camp
about two miles back. We head the can
nonading distinctly, and occasionally the
voleys of lnusketry 1t continued for over
an hour when our brigade (Col. Sherlnan's)
was ordered to the assistance of those en-
gagged. This brigade consists Of the New
York 18th, Goth, 10th, and our regiment.
We formed into a line il a few minutes
and proceeded towards the scene of action,
gong mos! Of the way on run. As we
! neared the place the cannon balls whistled
over our heads and struck in the woods all
around us. We met the cavalry return
inc, saving that there was no chance for
| them to do anything in the thick woods
A little further along we met the alnbulan-
ces bringing back the dead and wounded
One officer was lying wounded by the road
side, and as we passed him, his attendant
begged us to give him little water One
Of The men stepped out and gave him some
from his canteen. ! tell you it was a
dreadful scene for new volunteers to look
upon, but we marched steadily forward as
coolly as you could expect Of us when can
non balls are falling all around us One
man whom We met riding horse was
wounded in the foot, others we could see
lying and bleeding in the ambulances.
When we rot within a short distance of
the scene + action eturred TO the RICH :
to the woods and formed into line. There
was not room in the woods for but a few
to fight at 2 time, and we understood that
we were to tax the place Of those who bad
been fighting and who were much fatigued.
We waited then in the ranks for some time
while cannon balls were whizzing over our
heads knocking the limbs off trees and strik-
ing the ground both before anj behind us.
One Of the La Crosse Company which is on
the left Of our regiment was struck near
the knee by a cannon shot; his lee was af-
forwards amputated near the hip, and this
morning at 4 clock he died. Two Others
Of that company were wounded, one in the
foot and the other in the face. The can
non ball came so near the eyes of the latter
that he has since become blind. The woods
were 50 thick that we could see but few
rods towards sthe rebel battery. Men
were continually coming back past our line
who had been fighting. We asked them
how it was going; they replied that some
of our regiments were badly cut up, that
they came right upon the rebel battery be-
fore they knew where they were, and that
the brush was 50 thick that they could keep
lines, and consequently they become
scattered whilet the rebel batteries kept play
ing upon them, killing many Of them
After we had been there exposed to their
fire without being able to return it for near
ly half an hour We retreated.
You will get much more reliable accounts
of the battle from the papers than | can
give you, fer we have no means If hearing
the exact number Of men engaged or all
the circumstances attending ii, for the men
are not supposed to know all these things.
We retreated to our present camp, about
g miles from the battle field, last evening.
We were reinforced last night by about fif-
teen thousand men. and some heavy artil-
tillery, and report says that Gen. Scott is
here with them / have not heard how
many Of our men were killed. A negro
who came into camp to-day says that
''dead rebels were lying about there as
hail" and that the cars were running all
night carrying them back to Manassas,
which place is said to be about six miles
from here. We hear that the rebels have
about forty thousand men around here but
this is probably much exaggerated. We
shall probably attack their position ag9in
this afternoon or tomorrow, if we do we
are bound to take it.
There are many exciting incidents which
| could tell you about this battle if had
time and SPACE. Those who were in the
battle say that when any of our men were
wounded and fell near the battery the sac
age .feads leaped over their breast-works
and stabbed them; this has SO exasperated
our men that some Of them swear that they
will never give the rebels any quarter.
The enemy has retreated before US all
the way until se cot here, and we should
certainly have driven them from their bat
telies yesterday if we could have brought
even one-fourth Of our men to bear OH
them. When the firing first commenced
one o. two batteries of flying artillery start
Ted from the camp to their assistance. but
after they had gone bat short distance
they we're ordered back, as there was no
chance to use any more cannon than they
had
You never saw men in such high spirits
as we we've when we heard the firing.
Every one inquired why they did rot
march us over there, So we could have i
hand in Il was the first canonading that
most Of US bad ever heard ana we could
hardly contfn ourselves; we we're So anx-
/ ious to see aud fight the rebels. When We
/ hearl fhe v14levs of small arms Iaff DfIInn