| | 1 | Author: | Bitner Collection: Kindig, William | Add | | | Title: | Letter to Henry A. Bitner  | | | | Published: | 1998 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Text collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Bitnerletters | Henry Bitner letters | Bitner collection | Letters written to Henry A. Bitner | | | | Description: | I have been writing and writing and writ ing to
you ever since I am in the army, and at last I've wakened up all of a
Sunday morning to find myself sealed behind a whole sheet of foolscap,
trying to make it look like a letter to old Southampton. I would make an awful long yarn to tell you everything
that has happened since I left home, in fact, twould make a young history, so will try our hand in the condensing
line & squeeze out all the little things re
taining only the big facts. After our
regt. had been encamped on the sacred soil of
Va.
for several weeks near Mun
son's Hill, we were attached to Gen. Duryee's brigade then lying near Alexandria, and our regt.
was accordingly moved thither. Next our regt. was
detatched from the brigade for awhile to guard the R.R. from
Alexandria to Manassas Junction. From this we went 12
miles beyond Manassas Junction to what is called Catlett's
Station, but when
Banks retreated, we fell back on Manassas to defend that place. Here Ord's and Shields divisions soon came pouring in like bees and advanced
thence to Front Royal in pursuit of Jackson, at Manassas our
regt. or rather our brigade was attatched to
Ords
, now
Ricketts
division. I suppose you've read the letter describing this march in
the news. I was not along with the
regt. on this march, but got sick at
Manassas, and was sent to
Washing- ton
, After Jackson disappeared our divison fell
back again on Catletts
Station where I rejoined my regt. after an
absence of about 3 or 4 weeks. Thence we marched to Warrenton, County seat of Fauquier, and from
that again a dis tance of 8 miles out here on the
Rap pahannock
. We are now in Pope's great army of Virginia. The men have great be-
lief in him and his energetic policy, and all desire and expect that he
will soon give us a chance to distinguish ourselves. We all regard his late
stringent orders as just the thing, and all are down on slow coach
McLellan
, who marched his army into the swamps of the Chickahominy, and kept them intren
ching and digging, while they were dying by the thousand, and all this
time made no attempt on
Richmond
He occupies a splendid position on the
banks of the James, but why didnt he go there in the first place. We ex
pect better things of Pope who has already
proved himself no ordinary Gen. in the Western
Campaign. Our Col.
(Ziegle) died the other day. McAllen is too sickly to take the command, so the Gov. I suppose will appoint us a Col.
Jake Gish just got back from Washington last night with his commission as 2nd
Lieut. We have bully officers. MacThompson is a clever Capt., McPherson is clever, but
Gish is the best man of the party. The boys all like
him because he makes him- self so common. Write and
give me all the news of Southampton, Shippensburg, the schools, your studies, &c. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
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