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File: mss.94.G56.002.pdf

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annoying our men as much as they otherwise would our brigade was releived about midnight and returned to the town here they had some shelter. Monday Dec 15th there was some fireing to day but no general advance or attack whenever their batteries in rear of the town would fire our batteries on Falmouth heights would reply the latter were out of the range of any guns the enemy had The only wagons that where allowed to cross the bridges were ammunition and the ambulances long trains of the latter were busy bringing over the wounded and taking them to the Rail Road and hospitals on the North side of the river. After dark our brigade commander sent over to the wagons for all the spades to dig rifle pits they were all lost. Dec. 16th The army evacuated the South bank before daylight and

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took up the bridges; the 1st brigade and 5th N.Y.V. 3d brigade, Sykes division covered the retreat from the city Co’s B & E of the 12th Infantry being the last troops that crossed the bridges before they were taken up, the division then returned to the position they occupied before crossing; it commenced raining about 4 A.M. which made it quite unpleasant. On Monday afternoon Seigels Corps arrived partly at Stafford Court House the balance near the river on Tuesday they all marched near the river but took no part in the movements. Tuesday afternoon rode over to the 17th Conn. Volunteers and saw some friends they were the first persons belonging to the army, from Connecticut with whom I was previously acquainted that I had seen. Dec 17th returned to camp near Potomac creek found that Seigels Corps had stopped near here

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one night and they had destroyed all the fence around the Henry House and everything else that we had left. Our losses in the battle that had just taken place were variously estimated at from 10 to 12 thousand that there was a great many there can be no doubt. The committee on the conduct of the war investigated the matter to find out who was to blame for the result of the crossing, and their verdict was a lame attempt to fasten it on Gen Franklin who com- manded the left wing but what could you expect from men who knew no more about war or how it should be con- ducted than a child. We had orders to move again in the latter part of December but did not start, on the 20th of January another move commenced in the afternoon troops marched 2 miles commenced to rain at 8 P.M.; Jan 21st still raining the army marched to near Hartwood Church the rain had taken the

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frost out of the ground makeing it almost impassable Jan 22d army near Banks Ford but where unable to advance rations had to be taken out to them on pack mules the rain still continued. Jan 23d still raining details sent out to repair roads so that the army could return to camp 24th January our division returned to camp at 11 A.M. wet and muddy but they soon made themselves comfortable. Gen Burnside now went to Washington and two days after the order was issued releiving him from the command which was turned over to Gen Hooker, many other Officers where releived at the same time.

It was now supposed that action would be the order of the day and Northern papers were filled with stories of reorganization but that was all that we saw of it there was no sign of a move, ovens were put up to bake bread for the troops and things looked

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like a permanent camp furloughs were granted to the men at the rate of 2 to 100 men for periods of from 8 to 10 days according to the distance they had to travel some took advantage of this to desert but most of them returned; received a furlough myself on the 12th of March and started for New York reaching

    on

there ^ the 13th and home on the 14th returned on the 22nd; while at home went to church having been but once in over a year and that in June 1862. April 6th President received with a salute of 20 guns one short of the proper number but at Sharpsburgh they fired 22 so he owed us one this made us even April 7th division called out to receive the President, April 8th division marched to near Falmouth where the President reviewed a large part of the army April 10th a general muster of the army April 12th Sunday review by Maj. General Fogliardi (of the Swiss army) April 13th large bodies of cavalry moving

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to the right received six mouths pay from Sept 1st 1862 to Feb 28th 1863. April 14th men ordered to turn in all clothing that could be spared, 8 days rations issued 5 to be carried in knapsack and three in haversack this looked like a long march. The mail made up to night to go out in the morning contained 140 Ambrotypes taken by two Artists near by, the number of stamps on them varied from one to five each the total weight of mail was 12 pounds Lieut. Col Paul took command of our brigade to day April 15th commenced raining in the night and continued all day putting a stop to any movement that might have been contemp- lated. our ovens were taken down to day April 16th another order to carry 3 days rations in Regimental wagons making 11 days to be carried April 17th brigade reviewed by Col Paul 18th reviewed by Maj Gen Sykes. April 19th during some movements of Weeds battery near

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Gen Warren’s a cassion blew up wounding some men. April 21st Col Paul releived from the command of our brigade he having been made a Brig. Gen. Gen R B Ayres took command April 24th stormy day heavy shower in evening April 27th Monday struck our tents at 10 O clock army moved toward Hartwood church April 28th Army still moving some

rain April 28th some rain army still moving 

crossed at Kellys ford on pontoons 11th & 12th corps crossed the Rapidan on pontoons the 5th corps forded it waist deep. April 30th 3d corps marched to United States Ford May 1st Sykes division had a skirmish with the enemy May 2d 1st corps moved to the right, 2 divisions of the 2d corps had already gone May 2d Saturday Jackson marched to the rear of our army and attacked the 11th corps (Gen Howard) on the flank they were taken by surprise and fled in all directions Gen Sickels with the 3d corps succeeded in checking the enemy and finally repulsing them

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the 11th corps was afterward got together and put in a place of safety May 3rd Sunday about 5 A.M. Jackson renewed the battle and it raged with great fury for 5 hours the 3d & 12th corps bore the brunt of the attack the enemy after being repulsed did not renew the attack[crossed out] fight again but turned his attention to Sedgwick who captured the heights in rear of Fredericksburgh this same afternoon. Monday May 4th clear day the enemy shelled the wagon trains at United States Ford but did little damage our men capturing their guns a few shells fell among some rebel prisoners causing them to make quite a nose the enemy having turned on Gen Sedgwick compelled him to recross the river at Banks ford May 5th The wagon trains belonging to the right wing, where ordered back in the direction of Falmouth they commenced moving about 10 A.M. at 3 P.M. it commenced to rain and[crossed out]

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what at first threatened to be a shower turned into a steady rain and in a few hours the roads were in a bad condition. The pioniers were sent to cut roads from the front to the river to allow the army to fall back and during the night the main body crossed, the 5th corps covered the retreat they started from the front at daylight crossed the river and reached camp at 4 P.M. in the old place the result of the move can be summed up 10000 men killed wounded and prisoners and we captured one gun more than we lost, since then 20 or 30 thousand men have returned home their term of service having expired Jun 4th Sykes division ordered to march at 3 A.M., the 1st brigade to Banks ford where we now are, the enemy have quite a force on the other side of the river the weather is fine. I commenced writing this at the old camp but had to postpone

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it on account of the move till to day June the 8th. Write and let me know what is going on. Direct 12 US Infantry Washington D.C.

Give my respects to all inquireing who happen to inquire after me

Yours Truly

Augustus C Golding

H c A Sturgess Esq Fairfield Connecticut

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Camp Three mile Station Va Nov 3d 186[2?]

Friend Sturgess

After leaving Fairfield remained at the hospital till the middle of Sept was then a short time at Convalesent camp left there on the 26th of Sept and reached the Reg’t the same day near Fairfax Culpepper County Va. On the road saw the 12th Corps moving towards Alexandria; the general impression in the army seemed to be that no farther advance would take place but the next move would be backward and a move made by the 6th Corps on the 5th of October seemed to confirm that opinion as they releived the 2nd Corps and the latter retired to the position the 6th had occupied if an advance was intended they would not have fallen back as far.

In the evening of the 9th an order was received to be ready to move at a short notice with 8 days rations the notice proved to be the shortest we had ever received as general call went without revellee at 2 O’clock of the 10th shortly after the 5th corps marched about 2 miles to the East and remained there most of the day reaching camp again about dark some tents were pitched but general call took them down and repacked them in the wagons and at 8 PM the wagon train of the 5th Corps commenced its retreat that of the 3d Corps had preceeded us on the same road on the North side of the Rail Road the 1st &

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6th on the South side the second being in rear probably was ahead of all till the North side of the river was reached; this march with the train was one of the most tiresome in my experience all the teams belonging to our brigade had just been drawn since the return from New York and had never drawn a heavy load the night was dark the roads bad and the air was chilly many of the wagons were turned over but fortunately none of our reg’t at sunrise we were near Brandy Station and about 9 O’clock crossed the Rappahannock on a pontoon bridge and encamped near the station; our corps was assigned the duty of rear guard from Culpepper and they did not finnaly cross the river till the morning of he 12th. Our train started on the evening of the 11th and was out all night there was the usual number of wagons overturned on the road we reached Bealton at day light. w remained there till the morning of the 12th when we was aroused by a musketry fire on the East side of the Rail Road about 3 AM the enemy was repulsed and we started at daylight when about one mile from Warrenton Junction the train was parked here was the largest collection of wagons I had ever seen in one field after remaining here a short two of our Regt’s wagons with 20 others belonging to the division started with rations which we did near Catlett station we remained with the troops all night (we were about 1 mile from Gen Meade’s Head Quarters) the balance of the train started shortly after and traveled all that night the next day night and part of the day following then they reached Fairfax station, our small train started again at 8 AM

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being light loaded we traveled fast, on the road we came to on[e] place were a battery of artillery was in position to repel the enemy in case they made an attack but they did not appear till after we left the second corps was not the rear guard the 5th being on the left flank the way we was marching on reaching Broad Run we followed the South bank of that strea[m] to Brenttsville near the same road we traveled in June last here we crossed and took a by road which for hills and crooks among the trees was one of the worst I have seen after dark we made but little headway in fact stood still most of the night some of us took advantage of this to sleep in one of the wagons that was empty, shortly after daylight we started again, the roads being worse than than the day before hills almost straight up and down and places just as wide as the wagon the least deviation throwing it down in the hollow the wrecks of some could be seen, also tents, camp kettles, crackers and many other things strewn along the road, however we reached the main body of the train about noon they having arrived about two hours ahead although they had a start of 16 hours after resting here a short time we started again reaching Fairfax Court House shortly before dark here found the troops Oct 16th 5th Corps moved to Centerville about dark in a heavy rain they returned again on the 18th from this time I have been with the troops on the march Monday morning the 19th marched at daylight passing through Centerville crossing Bull Run on a pontoon bridge and encamped for the night on the same field that our division engaged the

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enemy on the 30th of August 1862 this place was of great interest to those who had been here before more than it was to me still I found much to interest me in one place a man had been covered up but the dirt had washed off leaving his fleshless head and feet exposed to view in other places bones could be seen cartrige boxes bayonet scabbards and other marks of a battle we started again on the 20th at 3 AM reached Gainsville at day light while here the first locomotive came up on the Manassas Gap RR Shortly after a rain of cars come loaded with grain, about noon we marched to near New Baltimore remained there till the 24th then marched to near Catlett Station left there last Friday and came here. we are now about two miles from Warrenton Junction and one mile from Three mile Station on the branch road

My former letter was written from Banks Ford in June we left there on the 13th and marched to Hartwood Church Sunday the 14th started again shortly before reaching Warrenton Junction we turned to the N East and reaching Brenttsville encamped having traveled 31 miles under a hot sun in the morning reached Manassasas Junction from there to Gun Springs by the way of Centerville then to Aldie from here through Leesburgh to Edwards Ferry and then to White Oak Springs here Gen Meade took command of the army our route lay through Frederic City Liberty Union Bridge Unionville [?] Union Mills and Hanover to Gettysburg from here I went to Hospital Part of the time of my absence the Reg’t was in [New?] York

It is warm to day, and as a general thing the weather is good this is all at present do not forget to answer this Yours Truly

Augustus C Goldin

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Camp on Kettle Run Va April 14th 1864

Friend Sturgess

As I was saying in my last that we were at Three Mile Station on the Warrenton Branch RR will now commenced with the march from that place the road having been completed to Warrenton Junction and our supplies complete we had Reveille at 3:30 AM Nov 7th and marched at 7 AM the line of march being toward Bealton Station from there we followed the line of the RR toward the river the track had been torn up the ties piled up with the rails on them and then burnt the rails bending as heated till their ends touched the ground the bridges are destroyed and the building at Bealton burned. When about two miles from the river we marched to the left and formed double column threw out skirmishers toward the river. At this time the enemy held the forts on the North bank, both at the RR and Kellys Ford at 1:30 a smart fire opened at the latter place this lasted two hours at about the time this ceased a fire opened near the Rail Road first with artillery soon small arms commenced cheifly skirmish about sundown there was a heavy fire and at the same time we were

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ordered forward through the woods after going about half a mile it was found that the line had become deranged by the difficulty in getting through the dense brushwood we now deployed by the right flank and continuing to march by the flank reached a point near the RR it was now nearly dark and the troops already engaged having captured the forts and driven the enemy across the river we bivouaced for the night.

Nov 8th was called at 4 AM no drum being beaten or bugle blown shortly after we marched through woods and over rocks for about half an hour then reached the Falmouth road it was now daylight and we marched rapid along this in the direction of that place we soon reached Kellys Ford here found the 2nd Corps and we halted till one PM to allow them and one division of the 6th Crops to cross the river, after crossing threw out skirmishers on the left flank, when about one mile from the Ford halted for one hour or more then marched one and a half miles farther and encamped for the night we were in sight of the Blue Ridge towards night there was some fireing in the direction of Culpepper Court House Nov 9th Cloudy day a heavy snow squall in afternoon the 2nd Corps encamped on our left to the West

Nov 10th at 12 O’clock marched half a mile and encamped

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in a Pine wood our wagons came up towards night and we were told that we would stay here for some time nothing of interest till Nov 22d an order was issued on that day that the troops were to carry but 5 days rations instead of 8 as before Nov 23d orders came to move in morning Nov 24 revielle at 4.00 AM marched across deep creek so called after proceeding about one mile an order came to return as

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the rain of the night before had rendered the ^ impassable for artillery Nov 26th Revielle at 4 AM marched at daylight after going a short distance halted and a dispatch from Gen Grant read announcing that he had captured lookout mountain and defeated the enemy we reached the Rapidan and crossed at Culpepper [mine?] Ford marched through a woody country to the plank road from Fredericksburg to Culpepper Court House marched along this for several miles and at 7 PM bivouaced in the fields the night was extremely cold but rail fences were plenty in this neighborhood Nov 27th marched at sunrise when near Wilderness church took another plank road leading towards Gordonsville afer we had passed the junction of the two roads about 4 miles part of our ammunition and ambulance train was captured at the junction firing in our front commenced at the same time which [D][crossed out] added to the explosion of the powder in the waggons made our

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position seem quite critical the fire in front was from a horse battery belonging to Greggs cavalry division we soon reached New Hope church and the action had become quite hot the 3d division releived the cavalry and it seemed that an engagement was coming on but the firing soon ceased the 1st Corps was in our rear Nov 28th rainy up early at 10 A M commenced to fall back took a road leading to the left after marching through woods and mud for 5 or 6 miles reached [Robersons?] tavern we was now near the main body a sharp engagement had occurred here the day before we stopped in the woods for the night Sunday Nov 29th marched at 4 AM about two miles to the front and relieved the second corps near the [?] works it was now near daylight we remained here all day Nov 30th 4 regiments our brigade marched about 1 mile to the right without knapsacks they belonged to party that expected to storm the works at 8.30 the seige pieces opened but fired but a few shots our reg[crossed out] brigade returned at dark to the old position Dec 1st cold we lay still all day towards night there was some signs that we would fall back we started at 7 PM and marched along the pike for some distanse then crossed to the plank road and crossed the river at Germania Ford and halted towards morning of De 2d marched to Stevensburg Dec 3d crossed the Rappahannock Dec 4 marched to this place were we have been since excepting three weeks at Bealton but expect to leave soon the duty here is hard and you cannot tell at what time the small detachments may be captured by superior forces. Our Reg’t was paid to day. Give my best respects to all that inquire after me and answer this at your earliest convenience. Yours Truly Augustus C Goldin

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Camp near Yellow House Virginia

October 23d 1864

Friend Sturgess

It being some time since I wrote to you concluded to let you know what we are doing since last spring we have moved over quite a piece of country, at present we find ourselves about one mile West of the Weldon rail-road we have been here nearly three weeks, we were encamped on the East side of the road from August 21st to September 30th, before that were near the Norfolk rail-road from June 18th to August 18th

On the 4th of May we crossed the Rapidan with 498 men up to June 30th had lost in killed wounded, prisoners and sick 300 on the 18th 19th & 21st of August lost in killed wounded & missing 194 and about 6 on the 30th of September and 1st of October on the Squirrel level road in addition to this about 40 have been discharged so that you will see that our losses have amounted to more than 100 per cent of the original number but there

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has been enough joined from absent sick, on furlough, and recruits, to make our present number 198.

The weather has been fine this month though the nights are cold, making a fire comfortable; many of the regiments have commenced building log houses but I think they will soon have to leave them, this would be a bad place to winter wood is to scarce.

There is some political talk here if we would believe the Washington Chronicle the army is a [unit?] for Lincoln but from personal observation know that around here he is in the minority his greatest strength lies among the new regiments and one year men they staid at home as long as they could but many of them was forced to come out and leave their Loyal leagues at home, having great fears of the draft before their eyes; voting is going on in the New York regiments the law of New York is considered the best yet out as there is but little chance for the government officials to

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change the ballot to suit the majority needed.

My time will be out one month from to day if nothing happens to prevent

This is all at present

Yours Truly

August C Goldin 12th US Infantry