#16

Head Quarters 2^nd Brig 1^st Division

12^th Amb Corps Stafford Court House, Va

                        May 7^th 1863

Dear Wife

            I now take this opportunity to write a few lines to let you know how and whare I am as I suppose you are anxious to hear, you knowing long before this that thare has been a battle fought since I last wrote to you. I am here at Stafford Court House once more safe and sound and in good health, I am as well as ever although I have seen some pretty rough times within the last ten days, yes there has been a battle fought and a hard one it has been to. harder and more tarrific than the one at Antietam or at Fredericksburg but what the result is more than I can tell you or which came off best our folks or the rebs for I have not seen any papers so you see that I know nothing of the result which was the victors nor anything about it all I know is that we have had a hard fought battle and that our army has come back across the Rappahanock and our Regiment has come to Stafford again. thare is missing from the 20th Conn, Reg,t two hundred and thirty five men our Colonel was wounded in the foot with a piece of shell it is reported that our lieu,t Colonel is either killed or a prisner. there is twenty four men from Co.C. missing our Capt and first Lieu,t and orderly clerg,t, Frederick Chapman Edmond and Levi Purple Henrey Holcomb and Henrey Fuller from East Haddam wheather they are dead or prisners I do not know. I saw Horatio this morning he was all right Culver was taken prisner but got away again so he is with the Regt now, I hear that Charly Doyle is taken prisner again I helped carry one man on a strecher six or eight miles I tell you that was a hard job I went to Falmouth Tuesday with a lot of wounded or at least started Tuesday in the after noon about three O clock soon after we started there come up a thunder shower and I never saw it rain much harder it rained all night I was out in it got more than soaked through we drove till after twelve O clock that night and stoped then and built a fire and set by it till morning then we went on to Falmouth to get the wounded on board of the cars then come rite here to Stafford, I presume you know more about the battle than I do notwithstanding I was clost by it and a part of the time whare the shells ware flying about our head,s. on Monday morning early the rebs shelled our Camp whare we lay on this side of the Rappahanock thare was three or four killed but our folks soon took the batary away from them that they used for that purpose so it spoilt their fun they threw one red hot shot over amongst us the ammunition train lay clost  by us and  I suppose the would liked to have got something red hot amongst the powder thinking thinking that they might make things fly but they did not acomplish their object, I have not got any of your letters since we went on the march I think perhaps I shall get some to day I hope I shall at any rate. this is poor writing I could not write at all not half what I wanted to if I could see you I could tell a good deal more  my love to you all 

A.C. Smith

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