1862 December 13-15 Fredericksburg, Va.

Camp in the Field 2 miles from                                        [page one]
                                       Fredericksburg   Dec 13  Eve
Dear Sister Helen,
                             Well after 4 days hard
fighting and lying around in the streets
of Fredericksburg here I am back, safe,
and sound to our Old Camp.
     We evacuated the city last night at
mid night and withdrew our pontoon
bridges to get out of range of the
Rebel batteries which are situated
on a line of hills that lie about
1 mile back of the city..   Thursday
morning at 5 ock our batteries opened
fire on the poor city which they kept
up during the day and at the same

time began to lay the pontoon bridges                                                    [page two]
across the river (which is about as wide
as from our house to Dr Catlins) but the
rebel sharpshooters were stationed in
the houses all along the shore and
picked off our men as fast as they
commenced work but after our
batteries had been at work until
afternoon and had riddled every
building in the city and drove
the rebels all out we succeeded
in finishing the bridge and just
at night a Michigan Regt charged
across and planted the flag and
captured quite a number of the
secesh, early Friday morning we
marched down to the bridge but
for some reason did not go across
until [sic] nearly dark but lay on
the bank all day, our batteries
which were just behind us and
fired right over our heads popped

away every once in a while all day                                                       [page three]
but did not provoke a reply
from the rebels until about 5
ock P.M. when they opened on us
and at the 3rd shot wounded 3
of our boys all in Co. B. and one
of them has since died and one
has had a leg taken off..  we then
drew back out of range and at
6 ock crossed the bridge and lay
in the streets all night..  early in
the morning the rebels began
to throw a shell or two into the
city so we marched down to
the river band [sic] under cover
of a low hill and lay there
all day – the rebels throwing
shot all around and among us
wounding 6 of our Regt and
killing and wounding several
all around us 3 were killed within

20 feet of where I stood.  Oh I wish                                                     [page four]
you could just hear one of those
shell scream as it passes through
the air, the first one that came
over us made us all squat
mighty quick but after an hour
or so I actually got to sleep
down there and also made a fire
and cooked my dinner with
those pesky things flying around
well about 5 ock we marched towards
the rebel guns (our Division) and 2 or 3
Regt’s charged upon them but they opened
with grape & canister and musketry
so hot that they had to fall back
but fortunately for the 15th they were
near a steep hill just as they
commenced firing so they just lay
right down behing [sic] it and it all
passed over their heads but the
Col and myself were in a pretty tight

[This letter continues in the top margin on page one.]
place just then for
when the Regt started
on a double quick the
Col being lame
could not keep up
but we followed on
as fast as possible,
and were going
down through a
corn field facing
the battery just as
that shower of lead
and iron was flying
over them and we
just lay down in a
sort of ditch right
in the mud behind
a fence, and by the

greatest fortune escaped but I thought                                                   [page 5]
for about 2 minutes that we had
found the last ditch for the bullets
struck in the mud and corn stalks
all around us and spattered mud
in our faces and a shell burst in
the road within 10 feet of us and the
lead kept striking the fences “rattle te
bang” but thank God we came out
safely, the Regt lay there all night
on the wet ground in perfect silence
the rebels throwing a shell about
every 15 minutes all night but
the Col and myself went back to
the hospital.. Well Sunday for some
reason neither party seemed anxious
to fight (perhaps through respect
for the Sabbath) and Monday very
little fighting was done, except on
the extreme left but we were planting [?]
very heavy guns all day, monday night

we fell back across the river out                                                        [page six]
of their range, expecting that they
would shell the city and as the
streets were all full of our soldiers
they would have killed a large
number but as yet they have not
fixed on the city except now and
then a chance shot when they
happened to see a bright light
and monday afternoon I was standing
in the door of the hospital when
a shell burst right over the street
in front but did not hurt any one
          Poor Fredericksburg is awfully
defaced and damaged    there is not
a building in it but what is full
of holes and all knocked to
pieces – they must have left in
a hurry for in some of the houses
every thing was left just as if
every thing was all right but our
soldiers have ransacked and

taken every thing of value, and that                                                     [page seven]
they could carry off.  I would
have got some little thing to send
in this letter if I had thought
of it.  But there lots of wounded
in the hospitals around here, and
all our dead is lying on the field
just as they fell   we could not
get them to bury for the sharp
shooters pick off our men if they
venture in sight beyond the city
     It seems awful to think that
they must be left there on the
ground but such is war – we
found 6 dead rebels in the city
that they had left and 2
wounded that they had not
taken.  I talked with one of them
and he said he was glad he
had fallen into our hands as
he would get better care than with
the rebels he was wounded in the

[written in the top, side and bottom margins]
received a letter from Geo this afternoon dated the 12th
he is the bold correspondent that I have
my poor boxes are still in Washington I suppose –
hope to see they some day..

Monday   the streets were full of                                                        [page eight]
wounded and dead being carried
on litters or limping along to the
hospital one poor fellow was
brought in with both legs shot
off above the knees both arms off
below the elbows and both eyes
torn out and yet he was alive,
conscious and talked quite freely
    Oh there were all sorts of wounds
and wounded and I saw some
of our dead lying in the streets
unburied because they did not
have time to bury them at once,
   our loss is pretty heavy much –
greater than theirs but not near
as large as if they had carried out
the plan of battle marked out for
Sunday     Our Division were to charge
on their center and try to carry it
but their position is such that
we would had to have faced a regular
cross fire and our loss would have been

[written in side margin]
dreadful without any good result for we can never

[written in top margin]
take their batteries until we silence the
right & left wings and we are mounting
very heavy guns for that purpose..  We shall
probably stay here a day or two at least and

[written in other side margin on page]
then perhaps we can carry their works..

[The following is written in the top margin on page five.]
   I am thankful that I am able to write
that I am well and unhurt and that no one
can say that I ran or flinched in the least..
     With love to all   I remain Your affect. Brother
                                                                   Jim

James Howard,  15th Connecticut

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 4448