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Regiment: 5th Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned: Fair Oaks, Virginia
Historical Figures: Samuel P. Heintzelman
1
st Camp near the battlefield
Fair Oaks, Va
June 14th /62
Dear Parents
I was happy yesterday to find
that the mail contained a letter
for me from home but happier
to hear you were all well
I have not done any duty since
the battle having been quite un-
well on that day + through
the fatigue of marching on
the field most of the
way on double quick I was
completely overdone + when
we returned to camp at
night I was never so tired
in my life + we had to go
to bed without our super on account
of a regt having run throu
gh our camp + stole every
thing that they could lay their
hands on + left hardly blanket
enough to cover the wounded
that night said Regt was
the 98
th NY who when they
were attacted could not get
but 180 men to stand + they
soon left their rifle pits at
the appearance of the rebels.
no doubt they were forced
to retreat + leave their camps
+ provision by an overpowering
force but if they had been
food soldiers they never
would have stole the clothing
+ provision from those that
had gone to their assistance
The reason I did not write
a longer letter home after the
battle was an account of my
ill health having been
run with a diareah so
that I could scarcely
sit up long enough to write
what I did but I am
getting quite tough again so
I guess I can make out quite
a letter to day; the day our
Regt went in the action was a
very fine one, we had moved
about 3 miles that morning
+ had just got nicely settled
having got our tents pitched
+ were just eating our dinner when
we heard the first firing both
cannon and musketry but we
finished our dinner before the order
come to fall in. When it did
it was with only with guns
+ accouterments but some of
us put on our canterns which
came very handy. we then went
about ¼ of an mile and
[ ? ]
behind a rifle pit where we
staid about a quarter of an hour
when we had orders to move
forward which we did at
rate a 2;40 rate we soon
came to our battery where we
again halted but we stood
there but a short time be-
fore one of Gen. Heintzlemans
Aids rode up and told the
Maj. that they wanted
us an the left. we field to
the left in the woods where
we passed Gen. Heintzleman.
as we passed he said “What Regt”
he was answered the 5
th Mich.
when he again said. Go in boys
you give it to them at
Williamsburg + you can here.
you are just the boys I want
How that cheered up the
boys + how we cheered him.
We were now in a “cat hole”
water half way to our knees
paddleing on, at or near
here + Adjutant Huching was
hit with a shell letting
continued on next sheet
2
nd continued from other sheet
his inwards all out he was
a ghastly looking corpse;
we go through the “cat hole” + came
on a road where we were
drawn up in line + advanced in
that form through brush + over
logs we were told that the 3d
Mich was a head of us we soon
came on them near a fence the
enemy had fell back to the
clearing; we had to pass thro
ugh a slashing which was almost
impossible after we got through
it we were halted + we
laid down and rested for 10
minutes. When we stated again
we were very much
[ ? ] by
our rest. we went on pass the
3d when Co A were deployed as
skirmishers + advanced the
Regt following them. we went
through a thicket + after
we got through it the guns com-
menced cracking we
could hear the balls whistle
but they were generaly pretty
high. Here Elbridge received
his wound + fell back to the
camp where he arived be
fore dark; we advanced steadily
but did not fire a shot although
the balls flew like hail around
our heads suddenly our skir-
mishers commenced firing +
when we got up where they
were we commenced also for
there the rebels were in the
field behind fences + in + around an
old Negro hut + in among the
tents of which the troops were
obliged to leave in the morn
ing the rebels were well shelterd
as well as our selvs we being
in the woods. The fight now
became pretty warm on both
sides. the balls striking in
the trees from 20 ft. high down
to the ground I saw a great
many of the boys fall in
different Cos as we were
pretty well mixed up having
to come through such bad
places. We could see the rebels
tumbling evry way we could
see them start from one hiding
place to run to another + be=
ing bent about half double
running when a ball would
over take them + you would see
them tumble head long. they
had found a hiding place
where they were out of danger
Presently we saw them a running
from their hiding places in quit
a force when a raking
voley was
[ ? ] in them
from Cos G. C. + I. which
laid ½ of them low. how
they scadadled. I don’t know
whether they have stoped yet
or not. We were now getting
scarce of ammunition but
[ ? ]
stood there in one gun grou-
nd we did not fire only when
we had a five shot. The rebels
were now reinforced in front
of us + they appeared to be
trying to get around to our
left but they were foiled by
meeting somebody they did
not care about meeting
not more than ¼ of the Regt had car-
triges now. the catridge
boxes of the dead were emptied
+ were gone + we had no other
alternative than to fall
back which we done in good
order + very slow as we were
falling back we lost a great
many men the rebels pouring it
in by voley
[On Envelope:]
John Franklin
Pompeii
Luthers 1
st Gratiot Co
Mich
