University of Virginia Library

Letter from William Francis Brand to Amanda Catherine Armentrout, September 13, 1864

I seat my self this
morning for the purpose ofdroping you
a few lines. Yesterday the 12th we ware on
Picket & the enimies cavelry attacked us.
And I am sorry to inform you that
your brother was taken prisaner, also Sargt
Hays,[1] James Trotter,[2] Samuel A. Lightner[3] and
James Hutcheson, we[4] were on picket at
Waidsville on the Opecken river one & a half
miles from Brucetown; only thirty men
of the 5th Regtwas thare a very small
force to contend with the two brigads
of Cavelry, We held them in check
for about three quarters of an hour.
When about two Hundred charged
acroſs the ford getting into our
rear, we all clubed together & fell back
about two Hundred yards, When the Wcavelry
that had got in our rear charged us
cauling loudly on sus to surrender, But
the little band heeded them not but

continued pooring volley after volley
into thare midts, almost evry shot taking
effect. one charged up within six or
eight yards of me whirling his sword
around one of company D who threw
down his gun & surrendered, he then
cauled on me to surrender, the boys
kept hollowing to me to shoot him
but unfortunatly I had just shot
at the bulk when he road up I pre
tended to have my gun loaded & ready
to shoot him if he moved. Several
of the boys fired at him & the balls
coming so unplesantly near him he
whirled his horse & made tracks
we soon percieved we were getting
them demorolised & we charged them,
driving them from our front, we
ha'nt got more than three Hundred yds
when thay ware reinforced & charged
us again in wich our boys ware taken.
thay ware trying to lget to a small
bunch of timber; seeing they could not
reach in time they whirled & fired into the advancing foe & kept loading firing
untill thay ware all mixed up with the
foe, Seeing thay ware overpowered & a
further attempt to whip the enemy usleſs,
thay surrendered several of our boys seen
them going back under guard, all of
us that made for a deep ravine got
out safe, one overtook little George
Hutchison just as he got to the ravine
& ordered him to surrender George said
he was almost scared to death at the
old sword whizzing around his head
but he jumped into the brush & shot
the Yank dead of his horse, our loss in
killed & wounded was very light One
of Comp. H was mortally wounded & died in
the eavning his name was Strausburg[5], a
brother to the Strausburg in our band.
one of Camp K. recieved a flesh wound in
the our loſs was the heavyest in
prisaners. Some twelve or fifteen from
the regt. The enimy mostly used thare
sabers I am certain thay did'nt loose
leſs than forty in killed & wounded Jake was enjoying very good health I
hope he may meet with kind friends &
mild treatment also the rest of our
unfortunate friends, Again we are left
without an office in our Comp. It is reported
that Sam Hays is on his way down to the
Comp. I think the rest of Comp. E will have
to go to fort delaware to recruit, we have
Eleven hear yet & I am sure we can whip
twist that nuomber of Yanks, My health
is very good & hope this may find you
enjoying the same, Thare has been a
great deal of wet weather down hear
It has been raining all morning this
is a very cold rain, It will not be
very long until we will need our over
coats, I heard from both of my Brothers
C is at Camp Elmira New York & J
at the hospital in Baltimore J can
begin to use his arm & is enjoying
good health, I must close write soon.
May heavens richest blessings shower arou
nd thee, My love to all,