The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1863-05-29

the 55tb took in the recent battles. The
letter is dated
CAMP NEAR Books STATroN.(
May 7th Is63.j
The next morning we went back to
our old lines. While we were gone they
had breast works made for Us to lie behind.
There was nothing Of importance hap.
pcned that day until about four o'clock
when skirmishing commenced on our
right. That day our guards sent word to
the General that the rebels were massing
their forces on our right wing, aud that
was the weakest pOint ia our line, as we
had no iDtrenchments and but two pieces
Of light artillery, where we should have
had heavy batteries; but for some cause
(pcrhaps good) our right was not strength
ened, and it appears to us that the brig
ade on our right flank could not have bad
guards out in front Of there lines, for
when the trouble commenced their was
not shot fred until the rebels got close
enough to fire a volley. The troops on
our right only returned two rounds, then
broke and run panic stricken and took
the onlystwo pieces Of artillery we had
with them. fthc most if not all Of this
Brigade were Germons) Tho rebels closed
in on them, and instead Of coming in our
front as we had made calculations, they
came on our right flank, aud got their nr-
t.llcry in position clcsc enough to fire
grape and canister length ways Of our
lines. We were under very hot fire as
you can judge when you know our loss.
Oar company went in battle with fifty
two mon, aud came out with thirty. four,
and were not under fire for more than
twenty or thirty minutes. We don't
know as there were any killed in cur
company but have good reason to think
there were, for there is several of our boys
that we have heard nothing from; they
may have been t4kon prisoners but fca
not.
Capt. II. Robinson was hit in the leg
and supposed to be prisoner. o. d.
G ould was wounded in the hip and sup
posed to be prisoner. He has been our
Orderly bu. recently promoted to second
Lieutenant.
Our Brigade lost in killed, wounded and
missing, nine hundred aud fifty men in
the short space of half an hour or less.
There mOy probably be some of that num-
Der come in yet. Our boys all stood up to
the rack until the order was given to re-
treat; We then fell back about ten rods,
there rallied around the coiors, gave the
rebels two more rounds and then had to
retreat from before overwhelming number.
| should think the enemy had more than
ten to cur one at that point.
We fell back four or five miles and
laid down for the night. The next mora
ing nbout,four o'clock we went back about
Que mile ard formed in some breast works,
Then tn c sharp.shootcrs commenced in
our front lut dlre no material dGmpgcI
to our mer. About six that morning
tLcy attacked our right again but found
it strong enough to hold them this time.
The fight that Gny lasted from five to six
hours, and the hardest battle that kas
been fought lately, for the rebels were
more than half drunk aud perfectly heed
less Of the danger. They would con up in
columns Of nine or ten men deep right TO
our breast works, throw down their guns
and go to pulling down the logs with
their hands. All our men had to do was
to stand up to the works and pierce them
with our bnyonets. The rebels were
pretty strong for us but we reguined the
ground that day that we lost the night
before; this battle was fought on Sunday.
The men and officers that buried the dead
told me, that in less than five hours after
the rebels were dead they would turn
black. This is said to be in consequence of
their having been fedso much gun powder
and whsk oy, for our men did not turn
black in like manner.
We tiaid in cur old place thirty six
hours, aud then were moved down the
lines further, where we got one nights
rest and there we put in good time sleep.
ing. For three days we had nothing but
dry crack,rs to eat.
And hear let me say, iflhere is any cop
perheads in Republic, Il hope there is
noD who are prolong;ng this unholy war
by their sympathy with the rebels, and
their eternal howl against the Admins
trOtion, and censuring cur armies in the
field for not doing this, that and the 9th.
er, let them consider for one moment
what soldiers feelings must be towards
them after hard march of six or seven
days, mixed in with hard fighting through
mud and rain, subsisting on hard bread,
and not unirequently passing over the
corpse of some friend, who has shed lis
blood in his country's defence, aud if we
get any sleep in such time it is frequent
ly upon the ground, and sometimes in the
mud; if those worse than rebels think
that we can forget them even after this
. n