Oneonta Herald, Oneonta, NY, June 19, 1861
We are permitted to make the following extract from a letter written by Alexander Brewer of this village [Oneonta, Otsego Co. NY], who is a private in Col. Townsends' Albany Regiment. Said regiment was engaged in the Battle of Great Bethel. [fought June 10, 1861, one of first land battles of the war, Confederate victory]
Camp Alexander, June 11th, 1861: "I am on guard and am writing on my knapsack in front of the camp. Made a forced march last night, twenty miles; had a battle; was fired into by one of our regiments, and we fought about an hour before we found out who were firing into us, and this we found out when we charged bayonets and got within three feet of them. The balls flew like hail stones. Our Regiment had ten men wounded. We made an attack upon the rebels and found they had a masked battery of twenty guns and we had but three. We could have taken it, but it was thought by our officers that it would cost too many lives, so we retreated, but expect to take it tomorrow when we shall have more guns. We had twenty men killed. If we could have got them out from behind their breast work, we could soon have "cleaned them out." After we had retreated, we sent a white flag in order that we might get our killed and wounded. The rebels run up a black flag. Townsen's regiment swear they will take no more prisoners, but they will kill every Rebel they can find, because they fired on our sick and wounded. We go out into the bay and get clams and oysters."
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