1862 March 15 Camp Franklin

Camp Franklin March 15th/62

Dear parents,

It may seem
strange to you at first to receive
a letter from me directed from this
place so I will give you a short
history of our weeks adventure. I
wrote to you last Sunday then
I did not know when we should
advance but the next morning we
got orders about daylight to pack
up and get ready to march we
went about our task buisily and
as cheerfull as posible we soon got
all off our things packed and ready
to start ten we were ordered to
take three days provision and 60
rounds of catrides this begun to look
like fighting the 16th V. N.Y. Regt.
belonging to our Brigade was called
into line about sun rise and started
on about 8 o'clock we started followed

[page 2]
by the 96th R.I. and 27th N.Y. which
compse our brigade soon after we
were called into line it begun
to rain but we could not
turn out for rain so we marched
on I have since learned there was
175,000 troops started on the advance
that day with the determination not
to retreet as long as there was a rebel at
Manassas we marched till noon and stoped
resting occasionally to rest on the way
and then took dinner after resting
we again took up our line of march
and when we stoped for the night we
were inside the rebel entrenchments
at Fairfax C.H. not a rebel to be
seen we pitched our little tents
and found them quite convieniant
the rain had stoped falling and
the moon made its appearance and
was quite pleasant. The next day we
some of us went up to the court house
to see if we could find some of our
things we left there last July

[page 3]
but they were about all carried off
we found a part of one knapsack that
belonged to our company with his
name on it and some others in other
companyes the place is nearly deserted
of the inhabitants but a few remain
The news reached us Tuesday night
that our troops had occupied senterville
without fireing a gun they marched
on and occupied Manss Manassas the
rebels packed up and left in a hurry
they did not stop to fire a gun they
blowed up their works and left we
stoped at fairfax till Friday night about
6 oclock when we got orders to march
back to our old campground a distence
of about 15 miles we packed up and
started we arrived at the old camp about
1 0'clock that night we do not expect t
stop here long but we are ready to
go wherever we are ordered I think the
back bone of rebelion is broken and
they must soon yield to the laws of the
constitution.

[page 4]
I want you to tell Rhoda Symonds
when you see her that I saw Milton
Staples last Friday morning his camp
was about half a mile from ours he
spoke of her and some others that he was
acquainted with he is well and likes
first rate I have not any news to write
but you will see in the papers ere this
will reach you Samuel Duran has been
writing he may write some things I
have left out We are all well except
Joseph Spiller he is in the hospital we
shall not be likely to get our pay for
some time If you want me to write
to you again you must send me some
post stamps I have paper and envelopes
enough. I saw quite a number of rebels
at fairfax that deserted and give
themselves up to our troops and a few
prisoners passed by us there. It has now
been 10 days since I recieved a letter from home
I want to hear from you on as often as once in
two weeks and I will write to you as often
as I can make it conveniant & try and take
care of yourselves as well as you can and
tell Walter to be a good boy and stay
with you and I will bring him home a
pistol and gun one of these days
write soon write all the news you
can think of My sheet is fill and I must
close From your son
Hiram M. Cash

Hiram M. Cash, 5th Maine Infantry.

MSS 12916