1862 September 24, Alexandria, Va.

                          1862
Alexandria Sept 24th
    Dear Phebe
                    Your letter of
the 21st I have this moment
and having just come from
target practice, and having
a few moments to spare
I make haste to improve
it not knowing what may
come the next hour.  Victory
complete victory is ours thanks
be to God: You may imagine
but can never know how
rejoiced we feel The papers
will labor in vain to give
you any thing like a correct
discription of desperate stru[sic]
struggle, The rebbels fought
with the fury of madmen

[page 2]
and yielded only when they
could fight no longer  I might
give you statements that would
chill your blood but will for
bear; one instance only I will
relate; The rebels at one stage of
the fight charged on one of our
batteries which was stationed to
cut of their retreat: The battery
opened upon but still they
pressed on climbing over the
piles of dead [bodies?]: at length
they were piled so high that
they could not get over and our
battery could not see over
and were compelled (horrible
to relate) to fire right through
the solid mass of dead and wou
nded, and thus the fight went
on the solid shot first passing

[page 3]
through the dead, into the living
after the fight was over 1,245
were counted in this heap alone.
This is only a specimen of the
desparate fight which has
raged for a whole week
You will remmember that
I wrote you a little while ago
that the rebels could not take
Washington or Alexandria
and the result has proved the
correctness of my prophecy: It
is possible and that is all
that can be said. In regard
to writting write as often as
you can, the oftener the better
and if you cannot send the
stamps please send me $3 or 4
$3 or 4[sic]. I have lost a good
many things and among

[page 4]
others my blankets. they were
stolen from me; and I am now
using borrowed ones: I shuld have
to pay $4 for a new supply; the
contents of my knapsack was
destroyed by a rain storm, I saved
my shirt and my Bible; also a towel
I can get all I need here, all I
ant is a little money, send the
United States bills, Bank bills
are of no use here; We hear
that our boxes are in Washington
so they will be here to day
probably. Keep up good spirits
all is going well.  The rebbels
are fleeing and McLellan Burnside
& Sigel are in hot pursuit: They
will have no rest. 200,000 fresh
men will join them from this side
of the river: It is said that the 33
will go in the course of a week
but we cannot tell Gen Sigel
was here yesterday but there
was nothing decided about it
I must stop now good bye
With much love to all
                        Josiah

Josiah Perry, Co. K, 33rd Massachusetts

MSS 2215