Camp Pitcher Dec 18 62

Dear sister Yours of the 7th came to hand
to day and as ther is no time to write
lik the moments after receiving
and reading a leter Im take them
to write to let you know that we
hav ben in the batle and got out
again we crosed the Raphanoc last
saturday about noon and
ameidatey went on to the fild
of batle the shot and shell wised
thick and fast and the crack
of musketry and the roar of
artilery was tirific but Gen.
Bery sat up on his horse
aperantly as cool as a cucumber
and our ofisers done themselves
credit, there was a charge
made upon our batery by
the Rebs and our Reg" was
orderd in to protect it ther
was a oficer rode up and say
17th Me" you time has come,
do your duty when Gen. Bery
say now boys do honor to your state
[page 2]
this was al the spech I heard
and we went in directly
in front of the Reb" batery
and lay down upon the ground
and peperd to the best of our
ability we sent 2 regments
of Rebs skedadleing back
behind the hills into the woods
where they stayed and peperd
away at us at their leasure
they were perfectly safe for any
thing that we could do but
our big guns throw big shell
into the woods and I could
hear the trees crak, but
what damage they done I
could not tell we lay in this
position about untill monday
night when we was orderd to
pack up and we marched
back acrost the river and here
we are about 3 miles from
the batle field with the
impresion upon my mind that
[page 3]
we got the worst of the fight
when we was taking our
position there was a shell
burst in our ranks taking
one leg of from J. E. Haskell
of North Gorham and wounding
4 others 2 badly the others merly
brused alitle the whole reg lost
about 20 only 2 being killed
If you see any one that says they
want any afraid you may
know that it want me
but I want so frightened but
I obaid all the orderes and will
say the rest done well none
turning from dander untill ordered [danger]
you write that Daniel says
that after I have ben in one
fight I shall not be so much
in a hury what I meant by
hurying was use all speed
to get ready this has not
ben done I know it and I
know that twise as much could
[page 4]
if evry one done all they where
able to and as long as this
war is conducted by men that
not more brains to benifet
themselves than they do for
the benefit of their country
and so long there will be
disaster I do not mean to
say that any one man or
Genral could do any beter
but evry one contractors
and pety ofisers and men
all should do to acomplish
big results I am about out
of paper and our sutler
he is out it would be
very acceptible to have
some and also stamps
but do not send many
at a time I will manage
to pay you for what you
send we litle falls boys
are all here and it is rather cold
and I am rather blue
can not tell what we have
ben about untill we get
the paper but if we have won
a victory do not show in defeat
[1] M.P.L. I wrote to Mother on the batlefield
tell father he will find Crockets
bill in the last page of the book.