A jolly time last night; we tried to get up a good fire in our room and
succeeded. We came very near setting the house in a blaze. After burning out
the chimney and mantel-piece, we finally put it out, and the sergeant could not
find out who did it. Another mail to-day, and on the same steamer, a part of
the 43d. By our mail, we hear, some one wrote home that we had been in a severe
all-day fight, and were badly whipped, having sixteen Cambridge boys killed and
wounded. As there are only twenty-one Cambridge boys in the company, it would
leave a small margin for our friends to hope on; and the chances of the Boston,
Waltham and Watertown boys would have been small. Later news gave them a
different version, although it was bad enough. We were enjoying ourselves last
evening; even some of the sergeants were out on the river fishing for eels,
when we heard a shot; a change came over us. The captain said we were at the
breastworks inside of three minutes, where we lay down trying to get some sleep.
Soon Sergt. Parsons came along the line, and picking out ten or eleven of the
boys, started for Bl[o]ckhouse No. 1, where we were joined by an equal number
from Company B, 27th, and a negro volunteer. We cleared the breastworks, and
pushed to the woods. After a diligent search for an hour, we were called in. We
found that the cavalry picket had been fired on and wounded in the wrist.
Coming in, two of us were invited to supper with the blockhouse boys. We
accepted, of course, and as we were late in rejoining the company we got a
scolding for not returning at once, but, considering the great temptation, we
were let off easy. Capt. J. M. Richardson of "A" and our Lieut.
Newell have started for New Berne. Lieut. Newell is not very well. Capt. Richardson
of "A" is getting along fairly.
SOURCE: John Jasper Wyeth, Leaves from a Diary Written While
Serving in Co. E, 44 Mass. Dep’t of North Carolina from September 1862 to June
1863, pp. 50-1
