Augusta County: Adam Wise Kersh to George P. Kersh,
May 8, 1863
Summary:
Kersh comments on the news of Stonewall Jackson's wounding.
George P. Kersh
May 8, 1863
Spotsylvania County, VA
Dear Brother
I take this opportunity to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well and hope these few lines may find you enjoying good health I received your letter dated the 19th of April on the 1st of May I also received the letter you had written before Stating that you had rented the farm and about J Smiths contrariness And had answered it some time ago and was waiting for an answer is the reason I did not write sooner
Probably it will or has come to hand now as they are a long time on the road some times You sated in your letter that D A Plecker wishes to buy my house and lot in Centerville He had spoke to me about it some time ago and I told him I would not sell and when you see him tell him I dont wish to sell You were speaking of folks wanting to rent my house and lot I will rent it to any good respectful person for one year at 30 dollars
I will now write some about the fight on the 29th of April the Yankees commenced crossing the river about a half mile below Fredericksburg they drove our Pickets - - - (3 or 4 words torn out) company of the 13th Georgians and killed some few but nothing like the number we killed of theirs We were ordered down there about day light and put in the ditches in line of battle Skirmishers were out and some firing was done and shelling during - day but not many were hurt On the 30th some firing amongst the skirmishers and some shelling done not much damage done may lst everything quiet except a shot occasionally amongst the skirmishers Our regiment went on skirmish the Yankees recrossed the river some shelling done the Yankees left a good many things behind
We then ordered up the river about ten miles where General Lee was fighting we marched about 8 miles and was ordered back to Fredericksburg to the ditches the Yankees were crossing back again we got back about 12 o'clock in the night May the 3rd Our batteries opened this morning about 7 o'clock and a hot shelling was kept up for about 3 hours and then ceased they poured it into our batteries like thunder but our artillerymen held their position nobly and gave them as good as they sent while this was going on the Yankees were flanking us on the our left Our force was not strong enough to keep them back they took about eight hundred prisoners Alabamians and Mississappians and about eight pieces of artillery they gained our heights above Fredericksburg reinforcements come in then and held them in check we killed a good many of them more then they killed of ours eight of our artillerymen were killed and about 12 wounded they have the advantage of us in the way of artillery their artillery is on the other side of the river most of it and heavy pieces ranging with every road - - - [illeg.]- - we bring our troops in we were ordered back this evening in the rear on our left to reinforce our left where we lay in line of battle all night May 4th the next morning we advanced towards the enemy exposed to Shells which they threw at us in abundance but not many were hurt in our brigade we were held in reserve about 5 O'clock the general fight commenced our men charged them and drove them like chaff before the wind during the action one man in our regiment in Company was killed by the name of Alves and one wounded by the of Rosen about sunset we were ordered to the field to reinforce but when we got there the firing had ceased so we were not in the fight at all Our men drove them back about 4 miles next to the river got the heights back we took about one thousand prisoners and killed a great many of them more than they killed of ours. They say we had one division against thirty thousand in this fight they crossed back during the night on the other side May the 5th we were ordered to fall back they threw, shells at us like forty got about a mile and was ordered back that the Yankees were about crossing below Fredericksburg they Yankees kept throwing shells at us one fell in our regiment and killed four men and wounded seven Company A Joseph Curry killed Stoggle Lieutenant Kenny wounded Co K killed Archy and McClong wounded Gilliott lieutenant Lindsay Company G Hen Sipes killed Company C lieutenant Wellar wounded it is another one wounded I cant think of his name
None in our Company got hurt our regiment did not get to fire gun the whole eight days the Yankees had all went back on the other side of the river when we left and said they did not intend to fire on us now for a while they did not throw any shells at us when we left we arrived in our old camp on the 7th The hardest fight was above us where Lee and Jackson fought them they it was the (hardest) fight thats been fought yet the ground is blue with Yankees they had about nine thousand Yankee prisoners at Guinea station taken in the fight they say Stewart captured four thousand cavalry near the central railroad I will close as you will get the news in the papers better then I can give a I dont know the particulars
General Earley had command in the Frederiscksburg Fight Extra Billy Smith has command of our brigade
They say that Jackson was wounded one arm was taken off and two fingers of the other hand excuse this badly written letter as I wrote it in a hurry
Yours Respectfully
Adam W Kersh
