Camp near Fredericksburg, Va., May the 8^th 1863

Dear Sister:

I received your kind letter yesterday and was glad to hear from you all, and hear that you was all well, This leaves me well. I hope it will reach your hand in due time and find you all well. I will give you a little History of our travails for the last ten days. The 28^th of April we was ordered to Fredericksburg but before we got there the cannons commenced ?? and we learned that the yankyes had chosen the river below Fredericksburg we ? there in our brest(?) works till the next night and we got orders to march the yankyes had crossed the river above and was aiming to come in our reare but we met them and drove them back, Our brigade was engaged in hot fight ??????marched up in forty steps of the yankyes in there brestworks(?) and remained there until we shot twenty five or thirty rounds and fell back under the ? , but we soon made another charge and the yankeys surrenedered. I will give you all a list of the killed and wounded on another piece of paper. In this time the yankyes had got possession of the hights of Fredericksburg and we was ordered back to meet the enemy coming up from Fredericksburg we soon met them and stopped there and the next day they were shelling us all day till night we commenced of charging ? ? but when they found we were ? and ? they left their batteries throwed down there guns and knapsacks and just got up we pursued them near the bank of the river and there was a great number of prisoners we drove them back on the other side of the river and all is quiet(?) now. We are camped on the bank of the river about two miles above Fredericksburg, The fight on our line lasted about eight days. We taken about 10,000 prisoners several pieces of artillery. Write soon and give me all the news you must excuse this badly written letter. Good by for this time. W. L. Smith to M. J. C. Smith

 

William L. Smith to his sister Mary
May 27, 1863
See transcription below images

Transcription of the above letter
typed by Mary Smith's granddaughter, Ruby Rogers Cuff:

Contributed by Sylvia Brooks