Camp Near Fredericks Burg Virginia
Dec 18th 1862
Mr Henry Rhodes & family Dear Brother I seat
my Self one time more to lette you now that I am Still
in the land of the living and in tolerable good health
consideren what I have under gon in the last weak I have
had very bad cold for Some time and have yet and
I can say to you that I have bin in a nother Sevear
fight the Battle of Fredericks Burg taken place own
the 11th of this month and the fight lasted five
days But the Biggest fight come off own saturday & sunday
13 & 14th I can say to you that I never witnest such a sight
before in my life as that was we went in to the
fight own Saturday about Eleven or Twelve oclock and we
was under the most tirable fire of the Enemy untell a
Bout seven oclock after Night when the fireing
seased own Both sides when we was orderd in
to the fight we had one commisiond officer and
we did not get more then one hundred yards tel he
was wonded the company was then left without one
officer only 3 non commisened officers was left in
charge of the company me and 2 others the company
did Splendid fighten we was orderd to protect our
Batteries Sow as to protect provent the Ennemy from chargen
our Bateris we stood the most despirat fire from
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the enemy for Some time when we was orderd to [????]
we made an advance own the enemy when they [gave?] back
we the[n] got a grate position behind a Stone fence where
we was grately protected from the enemy they threw thousands
and [????] of shel and musket Balls at us But did not
do us a greadel of injerys after we had reached [this?] wall but
before we could Reach this point we lost a good meny
men the [loss?] [??] of our company was 4 kiled and 14
wonded we had 4 of our Best men kiled But I tell you
that the yanks piled up own piles that you could a
walked all over the ground own dead yankes without
tuchen the grounds the yankey loss is estimated at
Betwixt 8 & 10 thousand while ours is nothing comparativly
to theirs the yankeys [loss?] was at least 5 to one of ours
it is said that our Bregade faught against a bout
Thirty Thousand yankes Colon Hall Said he was confident
that the 46th Kiled three yankes to every one man that
was in his Regt the yankes was in posetion [1] when the
fight commensed But our men is now in posetion
of Fredericks Burg it is said that the yanks is
leaven as fast as they can get a way it is not [????]
where they will make the next attact we will Still
Remain hear tell it is nowen whair the yankes make
their attact Some think we may probely gow to
Peters burg after a while But whether it will be sow
I cant say
[rest of letter too faded to transcribe at present