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Regiment: 6th Wisconsin Infantry
Battles Mentioned: Cold Harbor, Virginia; Crater, Virginia; Jericho Ford, Virginia; Laurel Hill, Virginia; North Anna, Virginia; Petersburg, Virginia; Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia; Wilderness, Virginia
Historical Figures: Ambrose E. Burnside, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant
Petersburg Va Aug 4th 1864
Dear Cousin I now take my pen in hand to inform you that
I am well I have not heard eney thing from Stewartstown for
Some time I thought I would write you a few lines thinking
that I might get an answer Last Spring when so many Wisconsin
Brave sons was going to fill up the broken rank of our Nation I thought
it my duty to Volinteer and go to my Country’s call all though it was
hard to part with home and go and face the rebel bullets but the
26
th of last Feb. I enlisted in Company B 6
th Reg Wisconsin Vol and went
into Camp at Madison I had not been ther long before I heard of
my Mother’s death Marrilla you know how hard it is to part with
a Mother but it seems as though it would not have been
half
half so hard if she had been at home so I could have seen her once more
uncle Timothy wrote that she had the best of care in her sickness
wich I have no doubt she did And if I live to get out of the war
alive I will pay all the Cost there was to take care of her
One Regiment is in front of Petersburg we have seen some verry
hard times since the 5 of last May. We left our Winter Quarters
at Culpepper the 3 of May and on the 5 we was engaged with the
Ennemy and was a fighting 3 days when Lee fell back towards
Spttsysvania Court House hear we found him again and drove
him into his breast works and Grant drove back his left with the
2d and 6
th Corps he was compelled to leave his position
The next place we found him at the Crossing of the North
Anna the 23 of May and our Corps was engaged most of the
afternoon Most probbally you seen in the papers where
the 5 Corps has been engaged and so it would be useless
for me to write eney more about it more to say that we
have been engaged in 6 different Battles on this Campaighn namely
the 3 days fight in the wilderness, Laurel Hill. Spottsylvania
Jerricho Ford. Coal Harbor and Petersburg In these battls I have
even been wounded but once and that was at Coal Harbor
I was hit by a piece of shell on the
soldier sholder the first
day of June it did not keep me from doing duty but 2 weeks
and I then joined my regiment we have been hear at Petersburg
since the 18 of June the 18 we had a hard fight and lost about
one 1/3 of our men in our regiment we went into the fight
with 175 men and came out with 124 men the rest
being killed and wounded the knight of the 18
th we built brest
works within 500 yards of the Rebs and in the morning we had
as strong works as they had We have been hear ever since the 18 of June
we have had to work most everry knight it
was is so hot weather
hear and the Sharp Shooters pick of a good many of our men
in the day time so we Work at nights on the forts and breast works
the 30 of last month we had a verry hard fight
fight
we had one of there Forts under mined and in the morning
about 5 oclock it was blown up and at that moment
every piece of Artilly and Morter comenced firering on the
rebels and as soon as the Fort was blown up our men
charged and went in to the fort and held it till the Rebs
made 3 charges and was repulsed and the 4 time they Charged
they took the fort this fort was in front of Burnside Corps
there was a briggade of Negroes that charged and went
into the fort I was where I could see the fight
I think they fought as well as the rest of our troops
The fireing soon stoped on both sides and it has been
quiet hear ever since our Briggade has left the front and
gone to rear about 2 miles and have gone into Camp we
expect to get our pay in a few days we have not had eny
pay for 4 months Well I can not think of eney
more news to write the last I heard from they was all well
they say they have not rased verry good crops this summer
Write as soon as you get this and write all th
news from New Hampshire
will you let me now where Seth Tirrill is if he is in
Army down hear let me now where he is what regiment he
belongs to and what Corps he belongs to
Good by for this time
From your Friend
Direct your letters
Lloyd H. Colby.
Lloyd H. Colby
Company B 6th Reg Wis Vol
Washington D.C.
5th Corps. 4 Division
