Dec. 17th, 1862 [Friday]. Camp near Falmouth, Va.
My Dear Father:
Since I last wrote we have been at our old trade again, that is, fighting for about a week and then retreating.
We left our camp (the same we now occupy) December 10th, about 5 o’clock in the morning and marched to within a quarter mile of Fredericksburg and halted our Regiment. The tenth was then detailed as skirmishers for the Brigade. And we were divided off by our Commanding Officer (Capt. Maynadier) accordingly. Our instructions were to march to the bridge (which, I suppose, was already laid), rush across and immediately deploy on the other side and cover the advance of the rest of the Brigade. But some unforeseen difficulties being in the way, the order was changed and we were for once properly speaking in the Reserves.
We lay when we first halted all the day and bivouacked at night in the same spot next day (Saturday). We lay still until about two o’clock when we were ordered to and did move over the river to relieve some other Division (I think Couche’s). But, we got over too late so took no action part in the fight. We lost an officer (Capt. Machlenburg, 17th Infantry), and several men of different Regiments. We were thrown out as picketts, our Regiment occupying the advance.
Lieut. Welles and myself, with twenty men, were thrown out as an advance Pickett, about one hundred yards in front of the rest, behind a small frame house. While we occupied one side of the house, they did the other, and every few moments you could catch a glimpse of one of them peeping around the corner. But if one of our men would miss, he would quickly withdraw. This went on until morning when their sharpshooters opened upon our men, who were about one hundred yards in our rear. We were within yards of their rifle pits and couldn’t move an inch for fear of being shot. Well, we lay in this predicament until dark. We withdrew with a loss of only one man killed. One brigade, in rear of us, lost heavily; and all this without firing a shot.
On Sunday night we were relieved and marched to Fredericksburg and bivouacked for the night in the streets. But the most dangerous place I ever was in my life was before Fredericksburg, on Saturday night and Sunday, for twenty-four hours. Where we were, the ground was perfectly black with our killed. I firmly believe that our loss was 1000 to one in killed and wounded.
We crossed over to this side of the river yesterday and marched to our old camp today.
The call for tattoo has just blown so I must close.
By the way my paper comes all right with the exception that they address me as belonging to 11th Infantry instead of the 10th. I wish you would give them my address such as you write on your letters.
Your Son, Will
William Fisher Letter Home
William Fisher Letter Home
William Fisher Letter Home
