Augusta County: Jesse Rolston, Jr., to Mary Rolston, May 9, 1863
Summary:
Rolston describes the bloody battle of Fredericksburg.
May the 9th 1863
Camp Hamilton Crossing
Deare and affection companion
i seat my to inform you that I am on the land amongst the live whilst many of my fellow soaldier has falen and gon never to return. my health is good and I thank my god for it and hoaping that this may find you and all of our family, injoying the same blessing and all of our friends and relations. I havent heard from any of our relations since the battel.
from what i can learn this battel has been one amongst of the hardest
battels that has bin fought yet. we moved
back to our oald camp last night and we feal
like we was at hoame since we dont
heare and see the bomshells falling in
our ranks, altho if i could be in oald
Augusta o how much better satisfyed I would bee
whare i could be with you and the children and heare
them pratel and i feal now like if i was at hoame a with you i could talk. well, i dont
no how much more tho than i can rite now. i do pray that we all may soon get hoame.
i do think that this ought to do for all men to quit fiting
boath north and south east or west and setel
it up some other way. fiting never will setel it. we have bin in line of battel for the last nine days and nites with orders to be
ready at a moments warning for we did not no how soon the enemy would
advance on our lines. we have or had bin exposed to the enemys cannon all the time but their was oanly four killed and seven wounded out of our regiment and i thank god for
his mercy and i pray that it may be his will not to cut any more down by balls and hoap that he may see fit to stop this terabel
war but o god thine will be don. our devision was left heare to hoald the
yanks at Fredericksburg which we did. 20 thousand crost over along
the banks the river but they didn't venture to our fortifications. we was too well fixed for
them their. we had
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some 4 or 5 thousand in all. the balance
of the army marched some 12 miles above heare
wheare the main body of the yankeys army
was acrossing the river and theirs
whare the gratest
slauter was. Gen. Jackson lost his
left arm in that fite. we regret the loss of our general very much but
pray that god may be with him and protect in time of nead but if god
spares General Lee ithink he will lead them yanks whare they wont like to go. we have taken many prisoners from
them and killed wounded many. their great General Hooker was wounded with the rest. i dont
no what the loss is on either side but it is very heavy. that i no. i will rite as soon as i can find out the perticlers. it is thought that the yankeys
is a leaving from their oald position on the other side of the river but
they dont
no
whare they are a going. i dont think they will try this place again
soon. it dont pay. i talked with some of the wounded and they are 40
thousand of them that their time is out may and they wont
volentear for no prise nor they wont
fite no more. hoame is their place. if all men
would do that what a joyful time it would be. i hoap it may come to
pass soon as i wont have a chance to send for a day or 2.
i will wait til then before i close.
Jesse Rolston
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