Maysville weekly bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1864-1866, 1864-05-19
GIVE have been permitted to publish

GIVE have been perlni tted to publish
the following letter:
In TIE FIELD BEFORE THE ENEMY,|
IL MILES FBoM RICHMOND, VA,
CHESTERFIELD Co., VA., May nth, leo4.l
Ny DEAR MOTHER:
To day I have reason to be thankful to
God, that am alive and we'll. On yester-
day morning, about 2 O'Clock, we were CALI
ed up and marched to the front towards.
Richmond, and when about one mile from
Chester, on the road from Petersburg to
Riehmond we were deployed as skirmishers,
and at 10 O'Clock in the morning, we reused
up the enemy and had the severess light
that L have ever seen, it lasted forabout four
hours and the loss on both sides is large
Our Regiment has lost 103 men, killed,
wounded and missing; this is the largest
number we ever lost in a Battle, being about
as many as we have ever had altogether be-
fore; the Regiment had only about 300 men
engaged, so that you can see that we lost
every third man, which believe is about
the heaviest loss, ever knows in battle on
the Field. The fighting did not cease until
1
stopped firing-the Rebels in possession OF
the fl cid. About O'Clock our forces again
advanced and the Rebels retired. when we
went 10 work collecting our dead aud
wounded. The worst feature of the whole
affair was. the burning of the dead and
4 wounded; the ground on which the Battle
was fought was covered with leaves and
old dry brush. and by the firing Of the guns
aud bursting Of the Shells it was set on fire,
aud all who were left on the field were burnt,
though do not think there were many, but
some of our own Regiment know Of, say
six or eight, how many of other Regiments
+. do not know, as have had no chance OF
learning this morning. We still hold our
position, we are between Petersburg and
Richmond, and have destroyed the Railroad,
and hold the turnpike; how long we will do
so | cannot tell, but think that we are in a
bad place, as they can move almost the
time, and we are not strong enough to whip
the whole Rebel army.
Thanks to God, our Company did not lose
a man, nor did we have one even won nde ed
left flank, and were not in the fight but had
tie best view of it that was possible to be
had, the bullets rsiued all around us, th e
she'll burst over, before and behind US,
the pieces flying in all directions. was ex-
pecting to be killed every moment, but
thank God, not one of rs were hurt. We
were ordered to fall back, but somehow thu
order was not understood and our Company
and part of Company E. were within a
hairs breadth of being captured in body,
we were not twenty yards out of the plough
ed field that we had to cross, when the
Rebels in heavy body moved up on our
left and clear around the position we had
just lefti it was narrow escape indeed and
l was glad as you may be sure, for had al
most as leave be shot as to be taken a pri-
soner now, as my time is up, but will not
be discharged before the 10Th of next month,
but the chances are that / may either be
killed or taken prisoner before that time, for
we are lighting every day, and have been
for several days, but until this time
we Gully had two men of our Regiment
wounded, and they both belong to Company
E. SO far our Company has not met with
any loss. The Regiment lost eight Com
missioued Officers yesterday. (the 10Th of
Mayo in the fight at Chester, IL miles from
Richmond
No more at present, but to say that am
we'll as ever. Your Son,