The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-06-20
ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
DISMAL SWAMP, Va,
milns from Richmond .Iune

| JJlSMA. DWAMP, va,
| 10 miles from Richmond, June I.
DEAR MOTHER:
l suppose you are anxious to know how
/ came off in the last big battle miles from
Richmond, called Seven Pines. / have just been
down to the Dismal Swamp and washed my
shirt and stockings, and concluded would write
to let you all know the result
Gen. Caseys division was in the advance,
and, of course, was there, as our regiment
compose part of the second brigade of his divi-
sion. We were all lying about our tents, dry
ing our clothing, having been out on Friday,
30th ult., in a skirmish, when we had to under
go drenching rain from ! 2 o'clock until T. be-
fore we got back to camp. After we got there
it was not much better, for it rained on us all
night. They took us by surprise. We did not
think it any more than a picket skirmish, at
first, until they began to shell our camp, and
we were run out in line. Two or three men in
our regiment fell wounded before we got prop
erly in line. The enemy was advancing into
our camp. The old 101st marched down in
front of them, where a good many of our boys
bit the dust. But. think we paid them back
with large per centage. Our whole division
did not amount to over six thousand men, so
many being sick in it, They pressed us with
about so to 60 thousand strong. AS fast as we
would cut them down they would close up their
ranks on us. Our regiment was in the front
They had us almost cut off at one time. They
| fankcd us on the right. They poured in on our
was ordered back. They would never have got
us out of our camp, if our re-inforcements had
come up in time. But six thousand could not
hold in check so on 60 thousand men, coming
into them like roaring devils. They played the
sam" old dodge on ns, hy coming up to us with
a flag of truce, and pouring death into our ranks
| for little while. Our officers in command
would not let us fire. But we fired any how,
for their flag with the cross-boncs on it. was
within 25 yards of us. 1t was life or death any
way that you could come at it. For if we would
not fight, they would shoot us, and if they took
us prisoners it was death any how. Our COM
| pany went into the fight with 25 men, commits
stoned officers and all, and came out with nine
wounded, one mortally, and the balance pretty
bad. There are some that will never be fit for
duty Among the men from Bedford county
wounded in the company was: Augustus Light
ningstar, in the hip, with shell, pretty bad;
Beerkamp in the thigh, serious; William Hoff-
man, in the side and arm, serious; Brown, arm,
| slightly; William Knipplc, on the lower rib of
| the left side, slightly. We have not vet ascer-
tanned whether we left any on the field Or not.
On the next morning, Sunday we were march
ed up again, but we did not get to fire at them,
Our regiment of $50 men, now numbers about
| 240, as far as heard from. On Monday follow
ing visited the battle field. You could see
dead men and horses lying in stacks. 1t was
sickening TO walk over it. The rebels buried
some of their dead and put Six and eight in a
hole together The rebel loss, in killed, wounded
| and taken prisoners, amounts to about 10000,
and ours to about 10000, in killed, wounded
and missing. Well, two days Of the fight of the
battle of Richmond, are over. l think every
inch of the ground now remaining unsoiled, be-
tween the two contending armies, will be hotly
contested, before we get to Richmond. Our old
flag that was presented to us at Harrisburg, has
the honor of receiving 80 bullet holes through
it. 1t is very hard to shoot hole through
silk flag We lost every thing we had in our
camp, and came off the field with nothing but
what we had ON our backs at that time. l am
writing while my shirt and stockings are drying.
The sun comes down on the bare skin pretty
hot. In this country you have one real hot day
for two rainy ones. AS sure as there is q skir-
IiiSn VI u pat4f lileH you Gun LOOK out lOr ram.
On last Tuesday, 1.-THE Sd of June) we were sent
to the extreme left wing of the army. We are
now 10 miles from Richmond; when we were
on picket at our old camp we were only miles.
This place is called the Dismal Swamp. 1t is a
very large, swampy piece of land. You can
see it, suppose, on the map of Virginia
Leuts. Mullin and Conley were in command
of our company at the fight. They are good
officers, and stood the smell of power and lead
first rate. They kept cool all the time. Lieut..
Conley was the only commissioned officer in
command of our company at the battle of VIII
liamsburg, Lieut.. Mullin being sick at the time,
and not able to get along on account of the big
marches. Yours respectfully,
j. 3. HELM.