Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1862-05-23
ARMY LET ERS.
From the Cameron Guards.
BARNnANsyILLE, Va, May I.

bAbNhaNSh ibLhi q, Ia H.
" Marching along, We are marching
along" has been our song, as we'll as our
occupation, for a week past, aud another
week we hope will iad Us marching along
the streets OF RIchmoud-or there abouts.
Or journey from Wsr~ick has been
nothing more or less han an exciting chase
after an enemy whose only object appeared
to be to ge; away from US as fast as posi-
ble. Their rear guard, however, made
desperate stand a, their line Of forti6ca-
tons below Williamsburg, and for hours
an incessant fire of artillery and musketry
was KEEP, up between our advance, under
Gen. Hooker, aud their retreating forces
under Gen. Early and others, resulting in
a loss Of four or FIVE hundred in killed on
cur side, with double that number Of
wounded, and much larger number on the
par, OF the Rebels. Our brigade was
double-quicked for miles, in different direc-
tiOns, through pouring rain, and mud
half way to the knees, to support brigades
supposed to be repulsed-and, finally,
reached the scene Of the engagement just
as it was growing dark, and the Rebels
had began the retreat. Tired and worn
out as we were with our ipefeetual efforts
to get into the fight, we were turned into
a whea, field for the night, and compelled
to stand upon our arms until daylight,
through q drepebing rain, over shoe-iop
in the mud, and with neither overcoats,
blankets, or fires TO keep Us warm. Alto
cether, il was one Of the most miserable
nights l ever put 10, and candidly con-
fees was almos, "sOrry that | ever went
for soldier" Next morning, however,
the sun shone ont brigb, and clear, and
with it came our train with baggage and
ratious, aud before ten o'clock everything
was marching along as smoothly as though
nothing had occurred to disturb our equa-
pimiiy.
After breakfast, I took stroll over the
battle field, and through some Of the cap
turei fortiications, for the purpose Of see
ing some Of the results Of the previous
days engagement. By that time, all our
wounded had been transferred to the boats
waiting to receive them, or to temporary
hospitals in the ueighb1rhooa, aud large
portion Of the dead bad been buried; but
10 the first earthvoIk which | entered, l
saw sixty or seventy poor wounded Rebels,
many Of them half clad, shoeless, and dir
ty, while, lying around within the enclo-
sure, we're the dead bodies of as many
Others. off GERS and men indiscrininateIy
mingled together. Among them we're the
Colonel, the Lieu,enan, Colonel, the Ma
ior, and nearly all the line officers of the
5ih North Carolina Regiment. They had
nearly all been killed in an Intellectual
at,em D, TO retake the fertilization, after 1t
had been captured from them several hours
before no, one hundred men out OF the
whole Regimen, escaped. Farther on to-
ward for, Magruder, aud along the skirts
Of the woods beyond, the massacre had /
been terrible. 10 places where it could
plainly be seen a hand to hand encounter |
had taken place, dead bodies lay piled /
upon one another, and in one spot, behind
a large pine tree, lay the dead body Of
Rebel officer of some distinction, and
around him three or four Uniou soldiers,
All Of whom had evidently been killed With !.