1862 May 8 West Point, Va.

West Point Va May 8 62
Dear parents
Since I wrote to you we have moved up the York river to this place,
and landed right in the face of the rebels our gunboats
fired a few shell and drove them away from the shore
so we could land we landed just at night and the
next day was occupied in scouting and some hard
fighting took place in which the fifth Me. was
engaged, we had one man wounded in the leg
another had three galls put through his clothes
but did not hurt him much there was quite a
number killed and wounded in other regts.
while the fight was going on the rebels tried to
shell our transports our gun boats got into play
and throwed shell into the rebels and soon stoped
their fun one of Gen Newtons aids was taken by the
rebels while they were carrying him away a shell
struck among them they left him and run and he
returned to his place slightly wounded.  We had one
man killed in Co. G. and three others wounded in this Regt & one
in our company by the name of Parker they think to save
his leg his wound is just below the knee he bears the
pain patiently.  Our Regt. stood their ground amid a shower
of bulletts until the rebels began to retreat then they were

[page 2]
[words too faded to distinguish] all day the rebels were in a thick
swamp and fought in  indian[?] fashion. We have now got
a large force here and more are coming at first we
had only one division Gen Franklin's and it is supposed
the rebels had 40000 men near this place but they have
left the place now and gone towards Richmond but
McClellan is in hopes to catch them before they get
there: The rebels used our wounded rough one man
was found this morning wounded in the shoulder with
his throat cut, some men got into the mud and could not
get out and the rebels shot them after they asked for
quarter

[letter of Hiram Cash of the 5th Maine will continue on May 10]

MSS 12916