Near Leesburg, June 22, 1863.
I wrote a short note yesterday to let you know my
whereabouts and relieve any anxiety you might feel for me; to-day I'll try to
give you a few particulars of our movements.*
Friday, the 12th, I left headquarters, ease and luxury. The
regiment was still away with the cavalry. However, the camp was standing and
about sixty men and two or three officers were there who had been left behind
for various reasons, so I had a small command.
That night, orders came to march at daylight. We moved back
about three miles towards Acquia Creek, stayed there through the day, and at
night started forward again and marched till eight the following morning,
halting this side of Dumfries. Sunday, we rested all day while the train of our
corps and the Sixth passed by. Monday, we started at three in the morning and
marched twenty-three miles under a burning sun to Fairfax C. H., getting into
camp about ten P. M. This was a really terrible march; the day was very hot and
a great part of the time we were marching side by side with a column of wagons,
which raised a dust that was almost choking. Next morning, Tuesday, about
eight, the Second Massachusetts and Third Wisconsin made their appearance from
their cavalry excursion; they marched into camp covered with dust and dirt, but
looking soldierly as ever. All the regiments of the corps that were near by
turned out to have a look at them and give them very hearty greetings, for the
two old regiments are now pretty well known in the corps.
I had a very pleasant time hearing the accounts of the fight
at Beverly Ford; all seemed to think that if they had to fight cavalry only
till the end of the war, they would have a very jolly time. Whenever our
infantry skirmishers made their appearance, the cavalry left in a hurry,
showing a great respect for our Enfields.
A company of the Second and one of the Third Wisconsin, made
an attack on about two hundred of the enemy's cavalry who were dismounted and
lying behind a stone wall firing their carbines; our men, not numbering more
than forty in all, fired one volley, then made a rush, capturing over twenty
and finding, at least, as many killed by their shots. Wednesday morning, we
marched again to near Drainsville. Thursday, we marched again, reaching
Leesburg towards night. All of the corps, except our regiment and the Third
Wisconsin with a battery of artillery, remained east of the town; we kept on a
mile farther and occupied a fort and strong position on one of the Katoctin
Hills.
We are still in this same position, how long to remain, no
one here knows. Our army lies stretched away for a number of miles towards
Thoroughfare Gap, the Eleventh Corps occupying an important position on our
right, its flank touching the Potomac.
We can only surmise whether Lee will attack us here or not;
he is moving somewhere in our front but not very near. We have at last had a
severe rain storm and the weather is more comfortable. It hailed for about an
hour very severely; the hailstones were, at least, as large as rifle bullets; I
was riding at the time and could hardly force my horse against the storm; he
would rear and kick, and didn't seem to understand at all what was going on.
The battle that I spoke of yesterday proves to have been
quite a success for us; we drove the rebels three miles and captured three guns
and some prisoners. Our wagon camp is on the field where Ball’s Bluff was
fought. I am in command of the regiment now, Major Mudge being on Court
Martial. I don’t see anything of my commission yet.
_______________
* The writer had been promoted to be Major of his regiment
but had not yet received his commission.
SOURCE: Charles Fessenden Morse, Letters Written
During the Civil War, 1861-1865, p. 139-41
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