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Camp near Washington May 27, 1865 Dear Parents. I should have written to you when we first arrived near Washington but I thought I would wait until I heard from you, but as I haven't got any letter yet I am going to whether or no. The 20th corps arrived at Cloud's Mills about three miles from Alexandria on the 19th. We lay on the camp here until the 24th when we were sent on a big review. There isn't any use of my trying to describe it. We are now camped about 5 miles from the city, near the Baltimore Railroad. The boys are all well except Harrison Widger. He was taken sick just before we left Raleigh and was sent to the hospital. I haven't heard about him since. The 20th Corps passed through Richmond on the 12th. A good portion of the city looks scorched considerable. We passed by the Castle Thunder and Libby Prison and it looked gaited natural except there were Rebel noses sticking out through the bars instead of Yankee ones. On the march from Richmond we passed over the battlefields of Chancellorsville and Spotsylivania Court House. We passed over the battlefield of the 12th of May when the 2nd Corps under General Hancock took so many prisoners. Here the trees and bushes had been cut down by the shells and sand bullets. A great many of the dead had been buried by throwing a few shovelfuls of dirt over them as they lay on the ground. The rain has washed all the dirt away and all that remains are their bones which have been laid bare. The Chancelorsville battle field is the same. Our division was halted here to give the men a chance to look at the field. Some of our men found their same old knapsacks where we had abandoned them during the fight. Quartermaster Summers found Lieut. Davis body, and I suppose sent it back to Syracuse. I should like to read his letter to the Standard giving an account of our march to Richmond. It has been nearly 2 months since I have received a paper. I suppose we will be on our before long. The Regimental and Company Books which were sent back from Atlanta to Nashville when we started for Savannah haven't been sent to the regiment yet, so it will be some time before the Officers can get the papers ready to muster us out. Gov. Fenton, Lieut. Gov. Alvord, and the Hon. T.T. Davis came to see the troops yesterday. The 4 regiments, 60th, 102nd, 137th, and 149th were drawn up in a line and the Gov. gave a short speech, and afterwards Mr. Alvord and Davis gave the 149th a short talk. They appeared to talk as if we were somebody. I don't have anything more to write about except the weather which has ben quite damp, it having rained steady for the past two days. Oliver ps: If I should get a letter from you I will write again. Otherwise not. |
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