Click here for this soldier’s biography:
https://micivilwar.com/authors/holben-solomon/
Regiment: 1st Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
at the edge of the woods. I have been at that post four nights
in succession the Picket guards are not relieved at all we have to
relieve each other one watches while the other wraps his blanket around
himself and lays down on the ground and sleeps we relieve each other
every 3 hours last night my companion was taken sick and I have
to watch pretty much all night
the we can hear guns fired in all direc
tions at night We have got the old mill strongly fortified we have
barrels and sacks filled with sand and stone placed in the doors
and windows for Breast works and we have a lot of 60 pound weights
stones Brick and chunks of iron placed at the windows and doors in
the upper stories to hurl down on them if they attack us our Captain
thinks we could hold the mill against any No of rebels till assis
tance could arrive from the camp thire are 500 of the secessionists at
Fairfax Court house 9 miles west of here a company of united states
Cavelry 45 strong made an attck on them the other night and cut
ther way through their lines three times and killed 17teen of them
and brought off 6 prisoners 4 of our troops were killed, it is the talk
here that an army of between ten an fifteen thousand men will
marched into the interior in a few days, we cannot find out at
anytime
where we are going to until we arrive at a place, all we know
is that the railroad is being repaired to carry off troops in some
direction I think we will got to Fairfax court house first, from there
to Manassas Gap Junction 28 miles from here there are 5,000 rebels
there and the place is strongly fortified of course we shall beat
them at both places the possession of the Junction cuts of all commun
ication between Harpers Ferry and the main army that place prob-
ably could not be taken by storm but then we could soon starve
them out I am pretty certain that this will be our destination
I want you to write as soon as you receive this direct your
letter to me in care of Capt Butterworth 1
st Mich Regt. Comy C
Washington D.C. Solomon Holben
P.S.
[ ? ] to stand by the stars and stripes as long as I
can raise an arm in their defence I do not think there is much dan
ger of its ever being torn down by any enemy that is fighting against it
now, tell Sophi that I shall dodge all the bullets I see comeing towards
me S H
