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Regiment: 26th Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: Robert E. Lee
HEAD QUARTERS
COMPANY D,
[“E Pluribus Unum”]26th REGIMENT
MICHIGAN VOLNNT’S
INFANTRY
Camp near BRANDY STATION VA. Feb 9th 1864
Dear Uncle
I recieved your letter last night and was glad to hear from you I am well as usual I was sorry to hear that you had been so sick but glad you are better again. We have been having very fine weather but it is cold now it rained a little sat in the after noon and sunday morning Last Saturday morning about five oclock we had orders to be ready to march in an hour That took us in surprise for we had not had any such thoughts but we got our breakfast and packed up in a hurry at six we was off towards the Rapidan We marched two hours and the first thing we knew we was on the rebs We halted on the bank of the river and the third division crosed They took twenty nine prisoners and there was seven that would not ansender and they shot them down They calculated to take the whole corps over but the pontoons got stuck in the mud and sid not get there until sunday morning and that was to late for they was uenforced so that we could not do any thing with them It was so muddy that we could not move artillary We had a few small pieces We layed on a hill and the rebs was on another one We could see every move they made They throwed a few pieces of railroad iron at us but done no damage If the pontoons had of gotten there as was expected we would of taken the battery and two brigades, but as it was they did not take only one Division across The old Division General had to get off his horse and Wade before he could get his men over as soon as he got off and went in they never said aword but went through The opposit side of the river was “drove full” of stakes sharpened and sticking towards the water A good many of the rebs got away while they were pulling out so as to get up the bank There was not much fighting going on untill after five in the afternoon our men charged on their rifle pits and the rebs tryed to flank us and get to the fords before our men did but they sliped up on that our men got there first and then they had them out of their dens and they give it to them We could see the whole of it they fought for three quartets of an hour when the rebs broke and run and our menafter them they chased them to their rifle pits and there they had it again untill our men drove them out of that our men took the second 1ine of rifle pits and it got so dark they could not do any thing more so that ended that days fight The second din went down and relieved the third and stayed there until they got the dead and wounded of the fields and then they came back We could see carload after carload of men coming in that evening so our men new it was of no more to try and hold their position We lost one hundred and fifty killed two hundred wounded We do not know the rebsloss but full as many as ours “I suppose” WE went out there to see if Lee had sent off many of his men to the south and western army Whether they found out or not I do not know
Sunday morning
We were taken to the left of the laneand the two first Co A & D were deployed and we expected to “take” it then Idreaded it for we could see the bank was full of men When we deployed they would get out of their holes and look at us We marched up to within three quarters of a mile of them and there haltedand stayed all day When their officers would look through their glasses we would level our gun on them to see them get in to their holes We would put a lofe of bread on our bayonet and hold it up so they could see it and beckon them to come over We would get a 1ittle squad together and drill in bayonet exercise they would get out of their holes to look at us then we would let a volly at them to see them schedadle towards night they got some sharpshooters they made us lay low then NO more at present
A A Shaver
