Oxford Times, June 25, 1862
Letter from P.A. Alken
Valley Home, June 6th, 1862
Dear Times: Amid the stirring events, which are every day occurring, it is not possible to be much interested with matters about home, so by way of apology for intruding upon your notice I send you an extract from a letter from one of our brave soldier boys, P.A. Alken, who although scarcely eighteen, has seen more hard fighting than many a veteran.
"I am enjoying good health, but very tired, as we marched last night till midnight, and done some of the fastest marching I have ever done. I am writing this on my cartridge box, rested on the ground, so do not criticize. You, of course, have heard of the evacuation of Yorktown, and the battle of Williamsburg. Well, we were the first Regiment to plant the "Stars and Stripes" on the rebel works at Yorktown. We were on picket at the time and twenty minutes after they fired the last shell we were in their works. Then came the pursuit. At 8 o'clock A.M., our Cavalry and Artillery passed through Yorktown in pursuit, and at 2 P.M., we heard the thunder of our Artillery showing that we were up to their rear guard. Our division commanded by Gen. Kearney (who by the way is one of the bravest men I ever saw. He left one of his arms in Mexico but none of his courage with it) encamped the first night 7 miles from Yorktown, and 10 o'clock A.M. we were again on the road in a pelting rain storm. The mud deep and growing deeper. 12 o'clock we could plainly hear firing ahead, probably near Williamsburg. 3 P.M., rain still falling, mud knee deep, we pile our knapsacks by the side of the road and establish a hospital. Seven miles farther double quick and we are at the rear of action. We are drawn up in line of battle, and march to the front, the band playing Yankee Doodle, we all feeling as if mad, as we passed Rickett's battery, the same we supported at Bull Run. The Captain sang out, "There goes the little 38th..."We are all right boys" and they gave us three cheers as we passed up to the front of the woods. We were met by a most destructive fire of grape, canister, shell and musketry from the enemy's batteries beyond the clearing, and from the trees which were felled with their tops toward us, making an impossible barrier. We tried repeatedly to charge through this, but finding it impossible, we sheltered ourselves as well as we could behind logs and stumps and commenced blazing away at every gray coat we could see. I crawled as far as I could to the front, and just raised by head to see if I could see anything to fire at when a big secesh raised up from a stump a few rods from me and taking deliberate aim at me, fired. The ball struck a log just before me, and bounding struck by my side. I have it in my pocket now. I determined to shoot him if possible. I watched till he again showed his head above the stump, when I sent a ball through his head just above the eyes, and he fell dead. He is the only man I ever shot that I am sure of. I felt not the least fear while on the field, although our men were falling thick around me. At dark the recall sounded and we left the field. We lost about 100 in all, 10 officers, and this is a heavier loss when you consider that we took but 500 men on the field, thus losing one in five. Our Lieut. Col. was shot. He was leading our wing and cheering us on when he was shot in two places and fell. We went back where we left our knapsacks and encamped for the night. In the night the rebels retreated, and we are now encamped near Chickahominy Creek, 28 miles from Williamsburg. We have had no tents since we left Alexandria. Each man has one rubber blanket 4 by 6 feet square, one overcoat and one woolen blanket, and one change of clothes. When night comes we lay down our rubber blanket, rolling our other blanket round us, we lay down on it. Gen Kearney and Heintzleman gave us the highest praise and I am really proud to belong to the little 38th, as the Gen. calls us. He says if there was but two men and our Col. he would not have us disbanded."
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