[from the diary of Frank C. Fitzhugh of Cutshaw’s Battery]

                                  Thursday 18

Went to the camp of the 13th
Regt.  saw Oscar

MSS 4448

[on patriotic stationery featurieng a bust of McClellan which has been crossed out]

              Fairfax Station, Va.
                  Dec18th/62
Dear Mother:
                           This is a
beautiful sunshiny morn-
ing and having a little
 leisure time I improve
the oppertunity of writing
you a few lines.  I am
well and somewhat weary
from our march since we
left Harper’s Ferry.  I wrote
you from Fairfax Courthouse
on the P.M. of the 14th and
told you that we were on
our way to Burnside’s Army; so we
were, but we are now only four

[page 2]
miles from the above named
place camped on the Same
ground that we camped on
that night.  We have been march-
ing ever since, and have been
at Manassas’ Junction and twelve
miles on our way to Frederick
sburg; but the roads are very
muddy and we have a great
deal of trouble in moving
the large train of waggons
which we are obliged to take
with us.  You will hear
before you get this that
Burnsides has been de-
feated at Frederick.  In con-
sequence of his defeat, we
have been ordered to fall
back and are now doing
so, having returned twelve
 miles yesterday.  When I say  
we, I mean, Slocum’s Corps,
being 40,000 strong.

[page 3]
What our future move-
ments will be, I am
unable to say. Whether we
shall stop here or go
somewhere else I do
not know.  We are now
only 28 miles from Washing-
ton.  Perhaps we shall go
there or we may go to Alex-
ander, Va.  Or, we may be
ordered to move on Fred-
erick by some other
way or road.  The Capt. tells
me now that we
will go to Bull’s Run, Va.
Mother, you need not
expect me home until
I am discharged from
the Army, as it is im-
possible to get a Furlough
now.   You must try to
do the best you can at home
without me.

[page 4]
I shall continue to send
you money whenever we
get pay from Uncle Sam
and you can give me
credit for it or not as
you like.  I will get
some pay sometime in Jan-
uary and I can send you
some money then-perhaps
fifty or sixty Dollars.  I re-
ceive 17 dollars per month
now and perhaps it will
be more before long.
We fare rather rough now.
We had to leave our tents
in Md consequently we have
to make large fires and roll
up in our blankets by it to
sleep but Hank is all right
can stand such fare as
long as anybody.  There is
no need of whining about it
for it will do no good.  You need
not enhance any unnecessary trouble
about me. I must close So good bye
Write soon and often,
                   With much love to All,
                               W.H. Redman
Direct via Washington, D. C.

Catharine Redman

[upside down in top margin of page one]
P.S. You need not
expect letters very regu-
larly from me as I can
only write when an op-
pertunity offers its self to
send a letter W,H.R.

[right side margin on page one]
I want the boys to pass at School and improve
their oppertunity
for obtaining an
education
their time is precious

William Henry Redman, 
Co. C., 12th Illinois Cavalry

MSS 7415

[from the message book of  Lt. Thomas S. Seabury, 3rd New York Infantry]

Dec. 18
To Lt. Col. Nixon
    A barge will leave
here at 2 P.M. for the
lower locks with lumber.
Emerson wants you to
detail men to take care of it
                  (Signed)  L. L. Clarke
                   Capt.

MSS  10781

Yorktown Va  Dec 18- 1862
My Dearly beloved Sister
I received
a letter Announcing the Death of
Our Darling Sister Maria O [Beach?]
would to God that I could have seen
her once more on Earth She whom I
Loved so Dearly Shall I never see
her smiling face again On Earth O
it is hard for me away from friends
and all that I Love to hear Such
Sadness it makes my duty
dubly Irksome-for O God sake
is their no Doctors their that knows
any thing or what is the matter
is my folks all A going to Die and
I not be permited to Give them A

[page 2]
Last kiss ere they depart for
that strange world it seems to
as if I was kept all alive to
pursue lifes Journey Solitary
and alone I feel as if I was an
outcast A burden to myself
and all around As I never had
any particular desire to go into
battle before but I long for it
now hoping that it will break the
Spell that binds me
                     My Love To all that
                     Left me  Good By
       
                      Wm H Girrel

write Soon

Sgt. William H. Girrell, Co. H., 11th Maine Infantry

MSS 1618

In Camp near Falmouth Va
                       Dec 18th 1862

Friend Binnacle

                             Providence has permitted me to again
address you again
                                I am of course glad to hear from you
and more so to hear of your promotion as Surgeon Orderly
may you prosper in this world of sin we have again been
fighting the Rebbs at Fredericksburg and lost a good
many of our men It was a hard fight I can tell you you are a
luckey Dog not to be here I dont mean the Dog watch
tho I came out of the muss all right thank God
acording to our Statement of things there you must
have things fine but do tell me if you have not
yet gusselled any of the Rhode Island Misses yet If you
have not why havent you Such things here are dry I can
tell you only now and then we see a white woman
and then we cannot get within 10 rod of hir we took
Fredericksburg and had to Evacuate soon I did not see
your Regt but the 15th  NY Engineers got badly cut up
while throwing a bridge across the Rappahanock
that had to do It under the Rebells Batterys things here
at present are verry much mixed we expect to fight
soon again you must write soon to me and tell me all
the news farewell from you friend Lieut Geo B Elmore
                                                  61st Regt NYV

MSS 1255

[from the “War Journal” of George Hazen Dana, as compiled by him at a later date from his letters and diaries]

                                                           Camp near Falmouth.
                                                                          Dec. 18th 1862.
I had to cut my epistle short, yesterday, on account
of the closing of the mail, so I will resume where
I left off – as nearly as I can remember.
We slept that night – Saturday – on the brow
of the hill we had advanced to, the ground wet
and muddy, and with no blankets; the night also
cold, and very damp and foggy.

Early the following – Sunday –morning, we com-
menced firing stray shots whenever we saw a head
pop up about the enemy’s barricades, the rebs returning
our fire, they lying about a hundred yards distant,
and our men displaying great coolness in the pre-
cision of their aim, and the consequent exposure of
their persons.        There was one “sharpshooter,” who
annoyed us much by his fire from a brick house
about four hundred yards from us, picking off
several officers and men from the regiments behind
us.        I took a rifle, sighted it at four hundred
yards, and as he appeared from behind the house, to
take aim, fired.        Lieut. March and four of my
men insisted that he dropped like a log.  I hope so.
   Well, we held our position till night, when, under
cover of the darkness, a brigade was sent out to
relieve us, and we marched back to Fredericks burg,
and slept in houses, on floors, tables, any where; and
oh! what a luxury for our aching bones, after
sleeping in the mud the night before, and lying
in it in a constrained position all day.
By the way, I forgot to tell you, that after my
shot, my hat – a tall felt one – seemed to be the
mark aimed at by the beggars, for the moment
my head went above the top of the hill, fiz,fiz,

fiz, went the bullets around it, while some of the
men could stand up straight once in a while.
I am going to wear a cap next time.        The
Colonel ordered us at last to keep down, so I had
no more shots, though I stuck up my head once
more without my hat, and not a shot greeted it.
All I have to shew for the fight is a bullet hole
through the right leg of my pantaloons, so never
again say anything against “pegtops,” for had “tights”
been the fashion, of course I should have been hit in
the leg.
There is one thing to be much regretted (I am sorry
to say, but can’t help it), in the practice of this
profession; that is, one loses, in a very great
measure, the good impressions – however temporary –
made else where than on a battle field, by the
sight of death.        But here it seems but a nat-
ural sequence, in a measure self-sought, and loses
most of its force.        There I slept, and soundly
with one dead man within touching distance, and
dozens more spread around, yet it did not seem
strange to me, nor shock me in the least – and
I do not think I am particularly unfeeling either.
.   .   .   .   We spent Sunday night and Monday
in Fredericks burg, and at about 7 o’clock Monday

evening were ordered to march.        We all ex-
pected more war, but to our surprise were marched
and counter-marched through the main street of
the town till 3 o’clock the following morning,
and then, to my bitter chagrin, away we went
back over the pontoons, although Sigel had
arrived the previous evening with a large body
of men for our support.   .   .   .   .   A Christmas
box on the car for Tiger/ softly).

[transcribed by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 5130

[from the diary of the Rev. Francis E. Butler, chaplain of the 25th New Jersey]

Dec. 18- Fine cold morning.  Brigade inspection. Let John visit 22nd. Regt.
Was waked up at 12 ½ last night for detail of 24 men to bury dead
under flag truce – Lt. Rogers says – rebels very polite – buried
624 yesterday – most had been stripped quite naked – could recog-
nize few or none.  Thot. he saw Sergt Gibson Co. A – Men sd.
were offered 3$ U.S. for a canteen – Rode with Dr. Bateman to
hospitals – Boys glad to see us.  quite cold –

Lt. Andrew Rogers of Cos. A & F, later Captain
1st Sergt James T. Gibson, Co. A

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12935

[from the diary of John Ward of the 102nd Pennsylvania]

Dec 18th tursthday

Recd orders to
March this moring
At 7 Oclock
Whe moved this
moring 10 miles
Nerer  to and within
2 Miles of Bell Poling
and in camp

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12913

[from the diary of Captain William F. Hunter, Co. B., 97th Ohio]

     Dec. 18th, ’62.
Clear but cold.

Our reg’t., with a
number of others,
started at about 7
A.M. up the R. R. on
a foraging expedi-
tion.
Knee very little bet-
ter.
The reg’t. went about
11 ms. toward Lebanon,
& returned about 8 P.M.,
with full wagons.

[from the diary of James Dinsmore Templeton, former musician and private in the 23rd Ohio]

December 16, 17, & most of 18  Dinsmore is again using the ink that has faded to illegibility

[post script at bottom of p 18 in another ink]

                       had pleasant
          interview with Carrie
          partly Clear Cold
          Had Letter from Alf Logan

MSS 10317