light when we moved back into an open field not far
from Chancellor’s House & [--?] up rifle pits. a battery
lay just behind us. the rebels planted a battery on a
hill a mile in front of us & shelled us several times
that day. but our battery would silence them every time
& blew up him[?] of the enemy’s caissons. When our battery was
firing we had to go back behind the guns & lay down
this exposed us to the rebel’s shells but none of us were hurt
one rifle shell struck into the ground just in front of my
head & so near I could reach my hand into the hole. it
was a percussion shell but fortunately did not explode
our position was in the shape of a horse shoe & we were on
the left side. the rebs were all around us. towards night
the attacked on right in great force & drove it in our men
came rushing back to where we were, in great confusion
at the same time – they opened all their batteries on us & shot
& shell were flying & bursting on our heads from all directions
our officers drew their swords & tried to drive back our men
but it was no use. they were panic stricken & would not
stop for anything. horses, mules artillery men & officers
came rushing back pell mill. It was a scene of the wildest
confusion. It was the 11^th army corps that ran so. it is composed
chiefly of Dutchmen & was commanded til lately by Sigel
but was now under command of Gen. Howard they acted
in a most cowardly manner & came near letting in the who
rebel army upon us. another corps was immediately brought
up & drove the rebs back, in less than hour all was again
quiet it seemed as if a hurricane has passed over us. it
came so sudden & with such a rushing & then was gone

our boys all remained firm as rocks. The panic did not
extend to any other corps. We lay in our rifle pit that night
nothing occurred, the next morning – Sunday the rebs opened
on our right again very heavy & it was soon clear to see that
they were too strong for us. soon we were ordered to the right –
to charge thru the woods. but when we got there Gen [---?] Div
was ahead of us so we went back to our rifle pits. all the
time we were under fire the rebs shelling us from every direction
about 10 o’clock our troops were all forced back so that all we
held was the little knoll to the left & front of Chancellor’s house
& right back of our rifle pit. – Two batteries were planted
there & we were ordered up to support[?] – then, we lay down
right behind the guns. the rebs opened on us with all
their guns. it was the most terrible storm of shot & shell
case & shrapnell I ever was in, they were bursting all over
& around us & coming from all directions too, our two
batteries could not stand it long their gunners & horses
were being killed fast. They had to retreat & we followed
the only way open for us thru the heal of the horse shoe
we had to march quite a distance right along in front
of the enemy batteries before we got into the woods.
Some of the regts ran for the woods pell mell but our little
Fireproff marched off as steadily & deliberately as for
a Dress Parade, as soon as we retreated the rebs, run up their
batteries to our old position & poured showers of shell after us
not till we half a mile from the field did we get
clear of their fire. just before we left Chancellor’s house – a very
large splendid house – was set on fire by shell & burned
furiously adding to the grandure & wildness of this cause[?]

we fell back a mile & formed our lines again in the woods &
commenced up rifle pits. I expected they would
rush right on after us but they did not. had they done so immediate-
ly I think we should have been driven into the river. they shelled
us several times that P.M. having a very accurate range of us
that night – we lay in our rifle pit: the next day we straightened
our works built traverse etc. the rebs favored us with a few
shell occasionally. Tuesday was very quiet & appearances
indicated a retreat across the river. we did not want to
leave as we had a position we could have held I think. but
probably Hooker was afraid of something elsewhere.
that P.M. we had a heavy shower of rain which turned
into a storm & rained all night and the next day. we had no
tents pitched so we were all wet thru. we waited till mid-
night expecting to start every moment. we then [---?] we might
lay down. so we rolled our blankets about us and lay down in
the rain & mud & [---?]. had not lain more than an hour before
we were ordered to fall in. waited til 4 o’clock before we
started, marched very sleepily to the river & crossed & came
on to an old camp without stopping to eat a thing. the
distance was 12 miles & the mud horrible. From 6 to 18 inches
deep all the way. we had had but very little sleep for 5 nights
& had worked hard. so you may suppose that we were about worn
out when we got here. I never was quite so used up in my life
I could have laid down in a mud puddle or on a rock heap and
slept soundly. Well the move has proved a failure and I
suppose you will feel discouraged, but you must not. we pun-
ished the rebs. Severly more so than they did us. We have
lost nothing to speak of escept the object we tried for. we
are just as ready & willing to try again and keep trying.

We left no guns & no colors. some of our regts lost many men. The
12^th N.H. I hear was badly cut up. I fear Dudly Norris is killed. he
was hit twice. our regt lost about 80 killed & wounded & 8 missing.
it is a miracle that more were not hurt. Thos this Corps is quite large for
180 men. Co.K. did not lose a man & every man stayed in his place
every other Co. had 2 or 3 skedadlers. Col. Cross is loud in his praise
of Co. K. As Col. Cross has command of 3 regts ours was command-
ed by Lt. Col. Hapgood. This was his first battle but no man could
have done better than he. perfectly cool, calm & brave as a lion.
He had a little psalm book in his breast pocket right on his heart –
a bullet struck it & passed nearly thru. it saved his life.
Major Cross was wounded in three places but none of those are
serious. I think the 2^nd Corps, particularly Howard’s Division
ought to be called the "Old Guard" the same as Bonaparte’s
"Imperial Guard" we are always the first into a fight
& the last out. As for the 11^th Army corps it is disgraced for-
ever. I am glad they are Dutschmen – I should be ashamed to
own them as Americans, had they held their ground Sat-
urday night & they should & could we should have gained
the victory. it is not safe for one of these to go near another corps
the boys are so mad with them. Gen Howard felt terribly
he was not to blame he is one of the best & bravest men in the
service. The Dutchmen excuse themselves by saying
"Give us Sigel & we [---?]. we no fight with Howard we
fight with Sigel," curse the cowardly dogs.
Sedgwich got driven back at Fredericksburg at the
same time but of this the papers can tell you better than
I can. The rebels had every soldier they could rake
& scrape in Va up here cost much. now why could not

our forces on the peninsula & at Suffolk have slipped up &
taken Richmond or at least have threatened it & kept
a large force of the rebels away from here. I don’t know as
it would have been according to military rules & strategy.
but I think it might have done some good. The trouble is & has been
our Gens do not work together. Troops are leaving for home
now every day. two years & nine months men. the army
will soon be seriously weakened. I am afraid the
golden moment has passed. I am very well & hope to
have a victory to write about soon. I have written to Samuel
since we got back. Do write soon Give my love to all