1863
Sunday March 22

Camp Near
Falmouth VA
My Dear Wife
I tak this opportunety
of writing A few lines
to you I hope thay
will find you all well
as thay leave us at present
I receved you kind letter
dated th 14 March and was glad
to hear that you ware all
well I told you in my
last letter that our division
had gon on a scout you
will hav sean in the
papers the perticqurlers of
it I may atemp to giv
you som littel acount
of it but as i was not
thair it will be what
i hav heard in camp
[page 2]
the colom left hear
on Munday commanded
by General Avrill composed
of seven 7 rigments First rodeiland
first Massaschsetts 6 sixt ohio
forthe 4 Penne sixteenth 16 Penne
thay left hear at eight 8 o clock
our rigment on the advance
thay ware joined by the
first 1 united second 2 and fift 5
united states cavalry with
the sixt New york Battary
thay proceaded on to morisvill
thay fell in with the rebel
pickets at that plase the
rebels left in good time to
escape our men thay our
men incamped thair fore
the night throwing out
pickets in evry direction
to keep the enemy from
surprising them
[page 3]
the enemy was not idel
thrue th night as our men
say thay ware throwing sigenel
rocketts up all night
next morning our men procede
to kelley ford forth new
york on the advance six miles
to kelley ford the pineers [1]
ware dismounted to cutt
away the trees that thay
had obstructed the road
with as our men started
to cutt away the thees
rebles sharpeshuters opned
fire on them the forth
new york ware the first to
atemp to cross the ford
the rebles opned on them
thay broke and ran away
the first rodeisland ware
the nex to com thay started
to gow across under a
heavey fire of muskettres
[page 4]
thay ware led by thare
collenel Duffe french . and Lt walker
of the fift united states cavalry
thar was twenty atemped to
cross at that time but onley
seven ore eight got across the
rest being shott by the enemy
some drownded after thay ware
wounded as the warter was four
feet deep thay captured all the
sharpeshuters thirty 30 in number
so the hole colum crost and
th fight soone commenced as
the rebles ware secreted in the
woods the rebles opned fire on
them with thare carbines our
men returned it with the same
with good efect thay charged
on one another but neather
party making much the
rebles lost a good meny kiled
and wounded we toock seventy
prisners our rigment came off
well three wounded slitly
your Husband
William Band
[page 5]
our men made severell vey good
chares on the enemy th generell
speeks in the highest terms of
them the prisners say our
men ware bold and daring
thay expected to capture them
all thay found a grand misstake
the rebles seam to think that
thease ware not the same men
thay charged on at hartford church
If our men had a good battery
of artilly thay would hav plade
hale with the enemy the battery
was good fore nouthing the Genll
ordered them away as thay made
such poore shuting our men
drove th
your affectnate enemy back
Husband William Band
[page 6]
March 22 all is well
our men was not all
ingaged as some regements
did not cross the enemey admitt
we ware to much for them
I think we taught them a leson
thay will mind I do not
know our Loss in all capten
trickell was woundid con B
th other two i do not know
[page 7]
I wrote to hugh
Rea two days agow
my watch is just midling
nouthing to bragg of
yet you never
told me how you
made out with youre
[????] [2]