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"This item is currently being transcribed by a volunteer. We look forward to making the full-text of the document available soon." C. Glendening
Camp at Fair Oaks,
June 5, 1862
Dear Mary,
I seize the opportunity and sta-
tionery, to inform you of the safe arrival of your last letter, and to tell you some of the particulars of our part of the fandango at Fair Oaks on May 31st & June 1st & 2nd.
On the morning of May 31st, we heard
heavy firing at the advance, and almost immediately a vast crowd of stragglers, with many wounded, came piling along the road in Bull Run style. Our division was under arms and in line in a hurry; the "slow-coach" Brigade being as quick as any. We took our way out in quick time, and soon arrived at a union battery and rifle-pit, two miles in rear of our advance camps. Casey's division had been surprised, Pittsburgh Landing style, and driven like sheep that distance.
Two companies, "C" and "K" of our reg't had
been before detailed to guard the stores at Heintzelman's Headquarters, and now two more, "F" and "H", were detailed to support this battery, leav- ing but six, about 270 in number, to fight. Our brigade was kept in re- serve all that day, and at night we bivouacked in the open field. At 4 A.M. next day, heavy firing was heard on our left, my brother's brigade (How- ard's) being hotly engaged, as he told me that night. They suffered terribly, Col. Miller, of my brother's regiment, being killed, Gen. Howard wounded, (arm off) and several field, staff, and line offi- cers killed and wounded. The 81st Penn. (my brother's) and 61st N.Y. were in line opposite a rebel regiment about 20 paces distant, and had aim on them, where an aid rode up and said "Col. Miller, don't fire, they are our men." Col. M. brought his men to "ord- ered arms," when at once the rebels, concealed by thick brush and bushes, poured in a terrific fire, tumbling our poor boys in every direction, & killing Col. Miller at the first volley. Those unhurt dropped on their faces and poured their fire into the scoundrels, three times, when the order "fall back" was given. the right wing of the 81st and the whole 61st obeyed, but the left wing of the 81st did not hear, and poured in their fire for some time. Finally two companies broke and ran, being unable to stand the concentrated fire of so heavy a force, and three companies opposed the enemy alone for a great while, but were finally forced to follow their com- rades. These two regiments, formed again in good order at the right of our brigade and behaved gallantly all through. The 63rd N.Y. was also terribly cut up, and the 2d N.Hampshire, the 4th regiment of that brigade, was caught on a high rail road embankment, be- tween two rebel regiments, and fairly butchered, the rebels lining the bushes and woods on each side.
Now came the turn of the reserves.
Our brigade was taken up in line thro' the woods, and soon came upon the enemy. Our regiment having the left, & Co. "A" the left flank of the regiment, we were deployed as skirmishers, and advanced thro' the woods to an open space, where we found the lead market extremely active, but had but one man wounded. We then returned in obedience to orders, until we formed a right-angle with the brigade's left, thus [sketch of brigade line and Co. A. line of deployment] We remained there but a few minutes when the fight began, and our boys were opposed
June 7th
to two full rebel regiments. The whole brigade being opposed to similar odds. Our boys poured in their volleys, and advanced on them, but a staff officer told the Lt. Col. & Col. Ward ([?] brigade) that they were "our men" and we stopped firing for a good while. Commencing again, we charged bayonets, and advanced double quick, chasing the tatterdemalions a mile and a half, they not waiting to find how our bayonets tasted. They tried to rally, but it couldn't be did. They finally broke and skedaddled thro' the swamps diagonally, striking the rail-road where the 4th Maine and 7th Mass. were stationed. The rebs were going it by the flank, i.e. in four ranks, utterly disordered, and our two regiments had some fine shooting at them, as you may suppose. The regiments opposed to our regiment were the 2d & 8th Alabama, and we "chawed" them entirely up, their prisoners and wounded all agreeing that out of one company of the 8th there were but 6, and out of another but 8 men left alive, whom they knew anything of. We captured the roll books of those two companies, & they showed an aggregate of over 160 men & 8 officers. At this rate our 231 (Co. "A" not being in the line) were against about 1600 men. Out of these 231, we lost 96, killed, wounded, & missing. That was our number of fighting men by actual count. The missing all turned up wounded. The brigade numbered about 800 fighting men, & has lost at least 300.
Our color guard was all killed or
wounded, poor Conroy, the color sergeant, falling mortally wounded just as we charged over a rail fence. The flag is stained with his blood, and being tarnished and ragged, it looks far different from what it did at Yonkers. It is full of bullet holes. Poor Joe Conroy was one of the hand- somest men in the regiment, with black hair & whiskers, & large blue eyes. He died before they got him to the hospital. He has a worthy successor in Corporal Grieves, who was wounded in the shoulder, but carried the "Stars & Stripes" through all the rest of the fight.
Our company is now color company,
and I come only the fourth or fifth from it, I hope God will help me to do my duty, but if I don't I ought to be shot, & left for the buzzards.
We had three officers wounded,
out of the 11 who went in. They were Lieutenants Mallon, Fitzgerald, & Gesner.
Col. Riley got drunk before he
started & tumbled from his horse twice on the 31st June. He was sent back t to camp in disgrace, resigned, & has been dismissed. He flunked completely. Lt. Col. Egan, who is as plucky as an acre of bull dogs, led us through the fight. 96 out of 231, more than 1 in 2 1/2 shows how the boys stood by him. We had 13 killed, 56 severely wounded, 27 slightly, the 3 missing all being found wounded. Several of my friends got killed besides Conroy. Corporal Currier, Color Corp'l Bisbing, & Sergeant Hollis R. Smith being among them.
Your bundle of papers came to day,
and I am much obliged. Can you send me a few more stamps? They cannot be had here, & my folks don't send them, although I have asked. Give my love to all, & write im- mediately.
With a thousand kisses,
John
Miss Mary A. Benjamin
care John Lewis Jenkins Esq.
Smyrna
Del.
P.S. The whole U.S. loss is about 5000. Our brigade took over 60 prisoners, including a general, a Colonel, and lots of lower officers.
