Description:

GRAPHIC BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG LETTER FROM A SOLDIER/JOURNALIST
Superb content war-date Union soldier's battle letter, 3 1/2pp. small folio, written by Pvt. Edwin R. Wyeth, Co. F, 14th Indiana Vols., "H_d. Qrs. 14th Ind. Vols, Camp near Fredericksburg, Va.," Dec. 20, 1862. Using salvaged ledger book pages, Wyeth writes to a publication, the "Express", and follows with instructions to a friend in a single letter, in part: "...what is left of us are all eager for another fight, but not…one as the battle of Fredericksburg…which was fought on the thirteenth. Our Regt was there and suffered heavy loss. On the eleventh after filling our haversacks with three days rations…we marched for the city…for the purpose of attacking the enemy which lay in heavy force in the rear of the city…with plenty of heavy guns placed in such a manner that they could give us a heavy cross fire with grape and canister…if we attempted to approach close…on the twelfth we cross the Rappahannock River by…pontoon Bridges which had been placed in the river under cover of the night…we lay in the streets of the city all that day and on the next morning…we was ordered to make a charge on the enemy's works…about a mile and a half from the city…Gen. Couch's Corps (this is the Corps that our Brigade is in) was ordered to attack the enemy's works…which we did and after losing nearly half of his men was relieved by Gen. Hooker's Corps…we then fell back…to rest having been under a murderous fire of grape and canister and minie for four hours and a half. The fourteenth fought bravely so did the 4th and 8th Ohio and the 7th Virginia. These four Regts constitute Gen. Kimball's Brigade…they fell thick and fast before the guns of the enemy which was well guarded with rifle pits and deep cuts and they was well manned with plenty of infantry and sharp shooters. Our Regt came out of the fight with a loss of seventy nine men killed and wounded. Capt. Kelly of Co. A was killed on the field. Gen. Kimball was wounded in the thigh by a grape shot. Our Regt looks very small now. They report one hundred and forty men for duty…we are the only Ind. Regt except the 20th under Gen. Burnside's command…we are amongst the eastern troops. If we do anything nothing is said about it…when we get the Official Reports we find that the noble Penn. Reserves and New York Vols done it all…Friend Low...I send an article…headed for the Express…have it published…I was at the battle and I hope that it will be the last one. Our Brigade was the first to make the charge. Was on the battlefield from the time we made the charge till after dark. The dead lay so thick that you could step from one to the other and not touch the ground. I was not hurt…though I was knocked down by a cannon ball passing by my head. I got up after a while and then went at it again. This was worse than Winchester…was three to one…". A chip or two at margins, some light spots, but boldly penned and generally very good.

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February 19, 2014 11:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

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