Soldier's Letter, Civil War, July 1862

 Chenango American, Greene, NY, July 24, 1862

Harrison Landing, July 8, 1862

My Dear ---: I write you a line this morning to inform you that I am safe and sound and so is Oscar Phelps and Charley Winter.  The last week has been one of the most exciting I ever experienced in my life.  I have been in one of the hardest fought battles of the war where the bullets flew like hail, and escaped without a scratch.  It seems almost a miracle that any of us are here when I think of the dangers that we have passed through.  There are about 175 killed, wounded and missing in our (the 27th) Regiment.

The weather is getting to be very hot here.  It is uncomfortable for us to be out.  We are not obliged to be out much during the day.  We have to work about two hours at a time on the entrenchments that are being built in front of us, and when we are not thus engaged we stay in the shade and make ourselves as comfortable as we can.

I suppose you had a great deal of anxiety about us when you heard that our regiment was in the battle.  I can tell you we had some very narrow escapes, and we thank God that we came out alive and well.  Our dangers had just commenced when we came out of that terrible battle, for we did not know that the army was going to the James river.  The people up North will never know what sufferings the soldiers have endured for the sake of the Union; but they did not murmur nor flinch in the face of danger.

Every day from Thursday till the next Tuesday there was terrible fighting going on all around. Sometimes there would be a continual roar of artillery.  At the time our regiment lay in front of one of our batteries and they fired over our heads, and as we were not more than five rods from them, you can imagine whether there was any noise or -?-.  There were about fifteen cannon which fired with great rapidity.  Our -?- and about the whole division of 12 regiments came so near being captured that we had to move in the night, and without speaking a loud word for fear the rebels would hear us and attack us in the night; but we are safely camped now and I hope we shall remove to where the weather is cooler than here at present.

Oscar and I had a good visit yesterday with your cousin, John Holcomb.  His regiment is about two miles from us.  He is a nurse in the hospital and had a hard time in getting his sick men to safety from  the Chickahoiny to this place.  He carried eight sick men through the "White Oak Swamp" -?- and did get them on baggage wagons, but the rebels were so near that they had to leave three of them behind.  He said if he ever saw thankful boys it was those that he carried out.

I have my blankets, overcoat and tent -?-. My health never was better than at the present time. On the whole, the life of a soldier  is good.

Affectionately yours, Albert