1862 May 8 near Fredericksburg, Va.

[from the diary of Lt. John Tyler of the Letcher Artillery]


May 8th  Up this morning at
5 o’c to roll call part of my duty as
Battery officer of the day.  At 10 o’c
heard artillery firing some five or
six miles to our right, & at 12 o’c
the Capt. rode up with orders to
move immediately, which we
executed in half an hour, starting

from our Camp at 12 ½ o’c.  We
afterward rec-d orders to send back
after our Camp equipage, which
was done.  We moved a ½ mile down
the telegraph road towards Fredsbg
and there waited till 4 ½ o’c in after-
-noon, when we moved one mile
farther down & brought our battery
into position on a hill covered with
pines & cedars clearing a place for
the guns [word lined through] with axes.  Our wagons
came up in the evening & two tents
were pitched for the officers, the
men bivouacing.  Went to bed very
tired having been on my horse near-
-ly all day.  Nothing but tough bread
and fat bacon to eat.  We are now
5 ½ miles from Fredsbg.

[transcription by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 6150