Union News, Union, NY, Broome Co. NY, January 1, 1863
We have been handed the following private letter, written shortly after the battle of Fredericksburgh, which we give our readers:
Camp Near Falmouth Station, Sunday, Dec. 14th, 1862
My Dear Mother and Friends, I now take a little time to write, but by so doing I deprive myself of rest, that on almost any other occasion I should think I could not get along without, but as it is, I think it my duty to write, if possible, although I have not but little of good news. I hope you will not start when you read the bad part of it! I will commence back to last Wednesday the 10th, when we started out about 3 o'clock p.m. with the pontoon train, calculating to lay some bridges across the Rappahannock somewhere, we did not know where. Well, as it was quite muddy, we had a very hard night's work to get the train up the hills and through the mud holes, but however, 3 o'clock the next morning found us on the bank of the river right opposite Fredericksburgh, and we immediately had orders to lay a bridge. The river is about 300 feet wide at this point and the city of Fredericksburgh lays on the bank of the river, and the banks of the river are very high on both sides. Well, according to orders, we went to work unloading the bridges from the wagons and began to lay it across the river. We got the bridge just about halfway across and O, horror! how the blue pills flew (and how we pontooners flew too). We ran from the bridge to the shore and lay down, and then there came another volley of balls, which killed our Captain. The last words he was heard to say was "Boys, take care of yourselves to the best you can, I am a dead man." The balls continued to fly, so we all got away from them the best we could. There was none of our boys wounded this time as I know of but Hughson Gardner. He got run over by one of the teams which hurt him pretty had. This was about daylight, and the artillery immediately began to play from our side. It played about three hours and then it stopped, and we went down and made another attempt to lay the bridge, but we were driven from it again by the rebel sharpshooters, which was secreted in the cellars and the brick buildings on the opposite side. Our artillery then renewed their fire, and in about three hours more we could see white flags waving from the windows in different places in the city, and we could hear women and children scream. Oh! was it not horrible? But you know war is horrible if you make the best of it, so I will go on. About 3 o'clock p.m. Gen. Burnside and Gen. Woodbury came down near the bridge and had a little talk. Burnside told Woodbury that the bridge must be laid, and if the 50th could not lay it, he would find a Regiment that would. Gen Woodbury told Burnside that the 50th could lay it, if anybody so set us to work or made out the details to lay the bridge, and also made out a detail of seven boat squads to take infantry across the river to drive the rebs away, while the rest of the boys lay the bridge. Well, as it happened, I was one of the boatmen, so down I went with the rest of my squad, which consisted of two boys of our company, and got into a boat, and the infantry came right along and got into the boat like men, and across we went amid a storm of bullets. Now I do not want to brag, but I will say here, that I was the first man that stepped on the shore of the Rappahannock opposite Fredericksburgh. You understand there was seven boats and twenty-one in each boat, and they all landed immediately after I did. There was only one man shot going over and one of our boys took his gun, but when we started to go back, one of my boat squad was shot dead - his name was Hanson Champlin - he belongs to our company. Well, the infantry we took over made a charge on the rebs and drove them from the buildings opposite our bridge, so our men did not suffer quite so badly while engaged finishing the bridge. The bridge was soon finished, and troops soon began to cross. The first prisoners taken were taken by the men from our company. There was one that took the man's place that was shot while crossing. His name is Martin V. Mathews. He is a new recruit. I have no more paper, so I will finish on this. Yesterday there was an awful fight - our men have suffered awfully. Today there has been no firing. The two armies lie close by one another and seem to be resting. I expect we will have lively times tomorrow. I hope Providence will overrule it all for the best. I have not had any rest to speak of since the day was started with the pontoon train, nor has any of the rest of the boys, but I guess we will stand it if the fight does not last too long. I like to forward to you the sum of our killed and wounded. There was seven killed and -?- wounded in our Regiment while laying the bridge. Our Captain killed and two wounded in our Company. The two that are wounded will recover, I think.
From your son. S.H.M.
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