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On board a steamer bound for Alexandria May 5, 1863 Dear Parents; Having an opportunity to mail a letter at Fort Monroe I thought I would write a few lines to let you know I have been taken prisoner and am alive and well. We have been in the famous city of Richmond and have been paroled. I am now on a steamboat going down the James River. I was taken prisoner on Sunday with about 75 others of our regiment. I was taken while on picket. Saturday noon our brigade sent pickets about a half mile in front of our rifle pits which the men had dug Friday night with their bayonets and tin plates. Our regiment sent out 40 men. We were posted in the woods and bushes. You could hardly see a man a rod away. Saturday they were fighting on both sides of us within less than 1/2 mile. We couldn't see the fight but could hear it all. The 11th corps was on the right of us. They fell back so the Rebs got around to the rear. The fighting stopped at dark. The pickets were posted 20 rods apart, 5 men to a post, with a reserve to fall back on in case we were attacked from the front. Sunday morning at daylight the fight commenced again. The Rebels began to throw shells and grape into the bushes where we were. They mowed down the trees and bushes considerable but as we lay low enough no one got hit at my post. After a while the officers that commanded us came up and told us to fall back to the reserve position. We came up on a regiment of Rebs that were lying on the ground in the thick bushes. We got to within two rods from them when we saw them. They jumped up, leveled their guns at us and told us to surrender. As there were only 10 of us we had to give up. Our forces had already fallen back on the right of us which gave the Rebs a chance to move into the rear of us without our knowledge. The whole picket line was taken prisoner. All of the men from our regiment that were on picket were taken. When some of the pickets found the enemy was in the rear they tried to get out the other way but they found the whole woods full of Rebels. There were 4 others besides me taken from our company. David Orr of Pompey, Wm. Tisdale, James Powderly and Adam Nash from Syracuse. Our Regiment was badly cut up. I havn't as yet learned who has been killed or wounded. I intend to write again as soon as we get to Alexandria so you need not write until you hear from me again. I would like to write more now but the boat jars so bad I can hardly write. If you can make this out you will be doing well. I will write of some of my experiences as prisoner in my next letter. From your son Oliver |
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