Henry, Josiah E., 1840-? to Mother

They are now about 30 miles from Richmond and expect to be there this week. On Sunday morning, 4 May, they were eating breakfast when an order came for them to be ready with their guns and within in ten minutes, they were in the rebels' works. Writes that "it was the same place where the battle of the 16 (possible the Battle of Drewry's Bluff, fought on 15 May, 1862) was fought… there is hardly a tree" left on the field now. They marched 11 miles, and their cavalry overtook the rebels, which resulted in a skirmish. They stopped marching about an hour after dark and camped in some woods. Around 3 o'clock in the morning of 5 May, it began to rain and did not stop until 12 the next night. On Monday morning, woke and "marched about half a mile and was drawn up in line of battle. There was heavy firing to the left all day mostly musketry, it was Hooker's Division. Their brigade arrived on Sunday, so it was Hooker's brigade's turn to go on Monday; they had a battle with the rebels on the night of Williamsburg. They were ordered to support Hooker's brigade, but the rebels had given themselves up as prisoners just before their brigade arrived. Does not know the exact number of killed and wounded, but the newspapers will know. Only knows that the rebels lay in piles and rows over the whole field, and up until Thursday they were still finding dead rebels in the woods and burning them. Saw 150 wounded in the fort; their men carried them in. Hancock says that there were only 25 men killed in his brigade. Woke up around 4 o'clock on Friday and marched 15 miles. The road was covered with blankets, overcoats, and knapsacks. The boys were so tired that they chose to throw away their items instead of lug them around. The clothing they have combined with what the rebels left on the road, there is enough clothing for an entire brigade. The next day, they got up early and marched 12 miles and camped where they are now. There was more clothing thrown away than the day before; overcoats that the new recruits had never worn, pants, shirts, socks, and new shoes were all on the road. Believes that he has never thrown anything away. Lost his shirts and socks at Camp Griffin the night before they marched to Alexandria, Virginia. The boys gave him two never before worn shirts and four pairs of new socks; they were going to throw them away because they could not carry so much. Would like his mother to send him "one overcoat, one woolen blanket, one rubber blanket, three shirts, two pairs of drawers all wool, four pairs of socks, and a blouse." They are marching again tomorrow and will be in Richmond this week.