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Harrison Point July 4 1862
Dear Mother
It is a long time since I have had a chance to write to you and thank God
that I am alive to do it now. I have been through some terrible scenes
within the past week. We have been marching for the last Eight days what
little time we have not been fighting. We began our march on Thursday
Marched to Mechanicsville to help McCall staid there over night and then
marched back to camp and by the time we got our things packed up the enemy
was in sight. We marched back about a mile where we found the whole of
Porters corps drawn up in line of battle. We left our knapsacks back of the
line and then went out as skirmishers. We laid there and waited there about
an hour before the Enemy made his appearance. We had some splendid shots
for a little while but they began to see that they were loosing to many men
so they made a rush on our right wing and drover in our skirmishers and
opened the battle. They were repulsed there with heavy loss and then they
tried the left wing where I was posted they drove us in at double quick and
opened fire on us at the same time. After we got in the woods we were
ordered behind the line that was formed and got behind the trees and shoot.
The regiment that we fell behind was the Michigan 4th which is a splendid
regiment. They were lying behind some rails and bales of hay which had been
brought there for that purpose they did not fire untill the rebs got within
three rods and then they poured in a volley that mowed them down like grass
at the same time there was two cannon pouring grape and canister into them
so that after they fell back the ground was covered with their dead and
wounded. Our men fought like old heroes that day but were outnumbered three
to one they were driven back in short distance when the Irish brigade came
up fresh and drove the enemy back on their own side of the fence we laid on
the battle field untill two oclock in the morning. When we got up and
crossed the river we marched part of the day Saturday and part of Sunday
and most all night. We got down to the James river about noon Monday where
we staid about an hour and then we marched back about a mile and formed in
line of battle. We laid there untill morning when our regiment was sent out
again to skirmish and did skirmish untill we brought on the general battle.
There was not so much musketry as there was in the battle before but such
Artillery firing I never heard before I should think that we had fifty
pieces of cannon in the field and they were assisted by the gunboats. The
Enemy was driven from the field that night and at two oclock the army began
to move back. We now lay in a large field of about four hundred acres which
is one solid mass of mud about six inches deep. George Crawford was killed
in the first days fight he was doing his duty nobly. I have not time to
write any more at present. There was three hundred guns fired at 12 oclock
to day to celebrate the day and the bands are all playing lively airs.
Please write often as you can.
Your Aff Son
C J Hardaway
Historical Notes
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