Front Royal, Virginia
June 7th
1862
Viola,
I received
yours of the 28th yesterday morning.
Also one from Mother. Should have written you sooner but for the past
two weeks we have been on the move nearly all the time, and guess that we shall
have all the marching we can do.
We left Falmouth on the 25th, marched to Aquia Creek
and took steamers for Alexandria
and cars from there to Manassas Junction.
Had a very pleasant trip. Arrived
at the junction Monday night and left Thursday morning at 4 o’clock for this place; marched all the
way. Should thought we might have come
by rail as the road was in running order up to this side of Manassas Gap.
We were to
be used as a reserve force for General Shields who was in the advance and after
General Jackson. We arrived here
Saturday night after marching 25 miles that day. When we camped at night the rain came down in
torrents and we had nothing except our rubber blankets to shelter us from the
storm, our knapsack, blankets, and tents having been left at a station on the
railroad to be brought along on the cars.
And you ought to have seen them when we got them day before yesterday.
They were
thrown off of the cars into the mud and laid there overnight in the rain storm.
Everything was completely soaked. My blanket was all mud, tent wet and
mildewed, writing case all wet, paper and envelopes wet, stamps all stuck
together. The pills which I carried in
it were dissolved. All that I lost out of the lot was a bunch of envelope
besides the pills.
Sunday was
quite pleasant. Our division marched out
two miles on the Strasburg Pike to support Shields who had gone on towards
Strasburg to prevent Jackson
from coming down this way. We camped there that night and Monday went 3 miles
further and Tuesday went to within 2 ½ miles of Strasburg and Wednesday came
back to the place where we are now camped.
Friday,
Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights it rained very hard all
night long, and all we had to keep us dry was our rubber blankets and firs
which we built. It rained a little
during the daytime but not much, and during that time we had nothing to eat but
hard bread and coffee, not very substantial food. But since we have been at this camp we have
fared a little better.
Front Royal
from camp is distant about a mile and the view of it from camp is splendid,
situated at the foot of some mountains belonging to the Blue
Ridge. It is not a very large place and not laid out with any
regularity. It is a regular secesh
hole. Today is the first real pleasant
day we have had since we have been here.
Sergeant
Fuller of Co B and Cushing of Co C were drowned yesterday while attempting to
cross the Shenandoah in a boat, the bridge having been washed away by the rise
of the river occasioned by the late rain. The current was swift and strong and
they were unable to save themselves.
That letter
of Elishas’ was very good. Wish I could
write a good. I mailed it to Henry
today. When we left Manassas,
Gassett and Moreton stopped behind as they were not able to march and there
were not any ambulances for them to ride; they having been taken away from the
regiment while at Falmouth.
Have since heard that they were in the hospital at Alexandria.
Don’t know what is the matter with them. The rest of us are
all very well. I was not intending to
mail this today but as there are reports in camp that we are to march tonight,
I shall finish it and put it in the mail.
Yours,
Edwin Rice
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