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Regiment: 15th Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: John M. Oliver
Washington
My Dear Wife
July 23 1861
Ere this you will have recd my letter
and the news of the Federal defeat. It is useless
for me to describe either what I saw or what I
have heard for you will We both in the papers
All I have time to say is that the defeat
was decisive. It was a perfect
[ ? ] one
Sunday afternoon by
[ ? ] we recd
news from the battle which was all
favorable until about 6 o’clock when we
saw the first fugitives who were thank
God not the citizen soldiers but regulars
(officers & men) who told us
every thing was lost & to fly but we did
not do so at 7 oclock we marched towards the
field of action (Co A
[ ? ]) & tried to stop
the rout & rally the men afterwards
other Companies were sent to aid us
but after blocking up the road for 2 hours
we found it useless & abandonded the idea
& marched back to the
[ ? ] house
where we formed close
[ ? ] to division &
made up our minds to protect if we could
the retreat. I took Adams Spalding Whipple
& another man & took a prisoner from a house
who was there in citizen dress found his
uniform & every thing & marched him off
with us (I forgot to say that the men were
tired & laid right down & slept with their
guns all ready during all this confusion
&
[ ? ] but I did not at 2 oclock having
recd order to fall back upon Alexandria or
Washington we formed in good order & marched
for washington by the way of Arlington heights
the regiment reached
[ ? ] ground on the
Virginia side of long bridge at about 7
oclock in the monring. I took Bradford
Nelson & Gibson down to our old camp to pick
up the things & take command of the war
we had left (100) & bring them to the regiment
which we did & reached the regiment about
3 or 4 oclock in the afternoon, securing the
whole camp equipage of the Regt. marching
12 miles further in the rain storms making
altogether for the three men & myself a march
of over 32 miles got nothing to eat but a piece
of brad & butter & tea about 1 loaf of bread & ¼
butter which I shared with others had to pay
8₵ for that. this morning we marched to
our quarters upon Meredian Hill again
our Regiment was complemented by the
war department for holding on as we
did & not marching until we recd
orders. There is a corspondent of the free
press who told me he was promised a position
in the Regiment & did not get me & who was
mad because he did not get one who has been
writing against us I hear (before this time
on the 17
th I think) but what he says is not
true. Wilcox was shot from his horse & his time
of service had almost expired but we were in his
brigade. He is dead I hear. The sights I saw
the night we tried to stop the
[ ? ] were the
most heart
[ ? ] of anything I ever saw or
expect to see. I cannot describe them to you only
one. Our Major who was dreadfully excited
stoped a
[ ? ] who was supporting a comrade
who had his arm shot off & would not let
him pass the poor fellow with his comrade in
him arms. himself having been in the
field from 5 oclock the night before making
27 hours with nothing to eat but hard bread
&
[ ? ] looked at him as he turned
away & drew his revolver saying “my boys
I have fought hard my comrade is dying. I
cannot stand this longer” I must go through
the boys called me up & I let him
through as in fact I did every one that
was wounded & where it was
[ ? ] a
man to help them to the hospital. poor fellows
it was of but little use though. The prisoners
we took we treated kindly the sick had
more than our own men had. we left 30
or forty from different regiments in the hospital
[ ? ] they would be cared for though of course
made prisoners but this morning from a man
who escaped from there the devils burnt the
house & killed every man in it either by the
bayonet or by fire. On the field they would
where they could bayonet the wounded
in the ambulances. One man fought well
& swept the enemy like Chaff before them
every
[ ? ] they dared take the field.
The only fault was the want of commanding
officers who had brains. If the General
commanding had left 10 hours at
Fairfax we could have talleyed the
men there & whipped them but he had no
available reserve. & He ordered charges
to be made upon batteries which no infantry
could take & exposed the men to fire from
every side which they could not return.
The
[ ? ] charge probably every made
was by the
[ ? ]. They were ordered to
reserve their fire which they did without
flinching until 200 men fell from their
ranks when they were ordered to fire & charge
which they did &swept a large body of
cavalry off of the field & right up to within
10 feet of the largest battery the enemy
had & which they could have taken if
[ ? ]but instead of that they were
ordered back. The whole affair was
[ ? ]
as it could well be. But I must say a few words
[ ? ] & close. I am well but my mucle
[ ? ]
I could not get food yesterday & that
[ ? ] having
been up a long march so far maker me to
tired I go to sleep almost as soon as I stop. our
men are all well & in good spirits as can
be expected I am well Kiss my little ones
[ ? ] love to mother Good by my wife J
kiss you good bye John
Read this if you can it is the best I can
Do
