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“We arrived at Boonsboro… and took breakfast at the United States Hotel… While the horse was being fed we took a stroll through the village. Several of the Federal troops were buried in the churchyard in this place with handsome headboards… After stopping here about an hour we started for the battlefield, passing through the village of Keedysville. It was at this place I stopped after I received my wound, and I called at my former quarters to see the folks, who appeared very glad to see me. We drove about 3 or 4 miles further… to the Dunkard’s [sic] church at which place was the heaviest fighting on the right, and near which I was shot… the old church shows where the heaviest fighting took place. One shell went entirely through it leaving a hole at either end through which a large man might crawl with ease. It is also perforated with bullets and solid shot in many places. How it was left standing is a great wonder. The trees surrounding it, for it is in a piece of woods, are nearly all injured more or less. Nearly every one shows the scars of the contest. Many of them have been broken off at the tops, while the ground is still strewn with branches that were shot off in the fight.”

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“Last Saturday being a pleasant day I took the notion of riding down to Harper’s Ferry to visit a friend… On mentioning the subject to our surgeon he agreed to accompany me. We mounted our horses and started. The day was beautiful and the roads pretty good, and we promised ourselves a very pleasant ride.
The country through which we passed is a very pretty landscape and well settled. It shows throughout the signs of war, viz. desolation - although in a very small degree. We arrived… at the Ferry. The place seemed more forlorn than usual. I found my friend’s regiment was encamped on Maryland Heights. The Doctor and I here parted, he going over the Ferry to see some friends, while I took my journey Heavenward… The time passed swiftly away till supper time when I sat down to one of the best suppers I ever ate in camp. Our circle was enlivened by the presence of the wife of one of the officers. We chatted merrily till tattoo sounded, after which we adjourned to the tent of the officer of the day where we had some very fine music. The night was pleasant, but imagine my surprise in the morning on awakening and finding a furious snow storm raging while the ground was deeply covered. Matters did not look very promising for a twenty miles ride, but it was Sunday and as usual important work lay at my tent in Frederick which must be attended to… I mounted my horse… and started for home. On my descent from the Heights I beheld a most beautiful landscape before me. The snow was falling and the side of the mountain was covered, while at its foot rolled the broad Potomac swelled the recent rains and the green Shenandoah came rushing down Loudon [sic] Heights to meet it, swelling it to a torrent which raised as it rolled toward the Bay. In the distance was Harper’s Ferry, its ruins looking like spectres [sic] amid the garb of snow which partially covered them, while afar off loomed up Loudon [sic] Heights… such a view must be seen to be appreciated. I found the Doctor waiting at the foot of the hill for me… Onward we went, but at Knoxville the Doctor found his boots nearly full of snow, we dismounted and went into the hotel. He filled the legs of his boots with paper and started again. The storm was terrible and we were facing it. Every flake seemed an arrow destined for our faces. Still forward we went. ‘There’s a covered bridge a few miles ahead,’ says the Doctor where we can dismount and warm ourselves… Soon the welcome bridge hove into sight, and we alighted. For half an hour we went through motions more vigorous than graceful, then mounted and continued our journey. At a little place called Jefferson we stopped for a dinner for ourselves and our horses. After getting thoroughly warmed we continued our ride. We had heretofore been riding in the valley, we now had to surmount the hills that skirt this city. It was terrible - the wind howled and the snow fell more rapidly, while to add to our troubles, the road which had seemed going down was drifted very bad and it was as much as our beast could do to flounder through it. But all troubles must have an end - soon the welcome city of Frederick was reached. People stared at us as we rode through the streets as though we were visitors from the other world.”

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“I saw in one grave 100 rebels buried in this place [the Antietam battlefield], and the lady of the house said eight thousand soldiers, two thirds of which were Confederates, were buried on the farm. Her house was used for a hospital, the family being away in Pennsylvania, and everything it contained being ruined. The family returned on Friday after the battle, and where they left a home of comfort and ease, found it full of wounded and dying soldiers.”

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“…to relieve the monotony of camp life I concluded to visit the old battleground of Antietam; so leaving the City Hotel [in Frederick City] early in the morning I started for that memorable spot. The day was pleasant and the scenery fine. The road winds through the most beautiful portion of Maryland. We pass South Mountain with different feelings from those that animated our breasts on our first passage. South Mountain Gap has been described by several writers and as we were not actively engaged I will not trouble your readers with a repetition of its beauties. If the artist wishes a view of American scenery the wild gorges, narrow ravines, and precipitous sides of this range of mountains, which I believe are a branch of the Cumberland would furnish him with a subject, which, faithfully recreated, could not be surpassed.”

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SIR: On Sunday morning the 14th instant, about 6 o'clock, we left our bivouac, and marched through a pass over the mountain to Jefferson, where we halted in a field by the town for some time. A little before noon we again marched to a point about half a mile to the rear of the village of Burkittsville, where we formed line of battle on the slope of a wooded height, a little on the right of the enemy's position. After remaining a few minutes, we moved forward into a swampy hollow, and there remained until about 4 o'clock p.m., when we marched by a flank side by side with the First Regiment followed respectively by the Fourth and Second, keeping as well concealed as the nature of the ground permitted from the fire of the enemy's artillery, which was strongly posted on a road which leads nearly parallel to the hillside from Burkittsville, and turned suddenly to the left through the gap (artillery was also posted on the steep, rocky and woody height), until we came directly in front of the enemy's position, where we halted.

The First and Second Regiments moved forward, forming the first line of the brigade. The Third and Fourth followed to the front at a distance varying from 100 to sometimes only 30 paces in rear, according to the nature of the ground. We moved thus over an open country intersected by high fences, the men clambering over as best they could, and quickly regaining their position in line, marching with great steadiness and precision, and so through a corn-field, still exposed to a hot fire of shell from the enemy, for a distance of one-fourth of a mile. At the verge of the corn-field we were ordered to halt. Here we lost some men from their shell.

Ten minutes after, we were ordered forward, and moved rapidly and steadily across a grass field under cover of a slight rise in front. The men were here ordered to lie down in line. The first line was now hotly engaged, as we could hear from the incessant fusillade intermingled with the road of the enemy's guns, now throwing grape and canister as well as shell. In five minutes the Third and Fourth were ordered in to relieve the first line, and the men, springing up, went in with a cheer up to, over, and through the high fence held by the enemy at the base of the wooded heights and strongly lined by his sharpshooters, who delivered their fire with great rapidity. But nothing could withstand the onset of our men. The enemy broke and fled, pursued by our men without halt up the sides of the mountain, climbing up the shingly sides of the hill until they reached the road before mentioned.

Here it was observed that a battalion of the enemy were forming on the right of our line, now become the first line of the brigade, when we changed front forward and delivered a destructive fire on his half-formed line, followed up by a renewal of the charge, when he broke utterly and the pursuit continued. A party of my regiment, under command of Lieutenant Fairly, my acting adjutant, and Lieutenant Hufty, consisting of about 20 men, moved off from the regiment by my order, and circling round by the road to the right, got in rear of and around the heights up which the body of the regiment was pursuing the retreating foe. They moved with such rapidly that many of the party fell out exhausted, and on their arrival at the point desired in rear the adjutant found he had but 5 men. With these he succeeded in capturing 4 of the enemy's officers and many of their men. This party, being out of ammunition, was obliged to abandon the pursuit, though they delivered their last remaining fire into the enemy's artillery, now in full retreat, and which could easily have been captured had there been cavalry to pursue.

Thus ended a sharp and well-contested action, in which the enemy had every advantage of numbers, position, and artillery. In his utter and complete rout, my men showed here what they could do when they had a fair chance, and they here well sustained the honor of New Jersey on this f

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The soldiers are under “strict orders not to leave camp without a pass. Cavalry patrols were sent out on all the roads to pick up soldiers that strayed away from camp and were sent to Harpers Ferry to work upon the entrenchments. It scared the boys so they are very shy about leaving camp.” But Brown sneaks away from camp, and goes to nearby Brownsville. “It is the greatest place for nuts that I ever saw… I get apples, butternuts, chestnuts and black walnuts. There are sites of pigeon grapes. They are very nice and sweet. The valley is composed of small farms of very fertile soil.”

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“This morning I started in search of my Regt. And found them after a march of 3 miles just packing up for a start. My things were all right. Friday morning we started for Frederick City. Followed up the Baltimore and Ohio RR. The sun poured down in fury upon us. We reached the city just at dark with but two men wounded. The citizens and girls fairly leapt and cried for joy. They invited us into the Hospital and treated us to wine and good things. We had hot tea and warm biscuit with butter."

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This morning the sky is hazy. Last night we lay on our arms about half a mile from Middletown. This another of Gods holy sabbaths are must be counted among the many of carnage and bloodshed. God forgive us and protect us by thy might. Give us victory for thy sons sake Amen. We are again called to fall in and pursue the retreating foe. This morning we had bushmeal for breakfast. Afternoon We started from camp 10 1/2 ock for the Blue Ridge where the action commenced and lasted all day. Gen Reno was killed. Our Regt was not brought into the engagement but two balls passed very near to me."

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“These two days will always be in my memory as the hardest of this campaign. Just two weeks yesterday we commenced this march and have kept it up night and day living on hard tack and occasionally a bit of fresh beef boiled. It is hard but we will never submit to Rebbeldom [sic] though we have to go through Hardships and privations to the bitter end.”

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“We have a good deal of duty to attend to. We go to Reveille at 5 oclock a.m., squad drill at 5½ oclock, surgeons call at 6½ oclock, at 7 we have breakfast, at 8 first call for guard mounting, at 8½ second call for guard mounting, orderly hours 9 until ten, squad drill 10½ to 11½, Battalion drill 11½ to 12½ dinner 1, squad drill again 2½ to 3½, dress parade at 6, retreat at sundown, supper at 7, tattoo at 9½, taps at 10. Besides this we have to walk guard. I have not drank a drop of whisky or brandy since I left and I do not intend to do so until I get back. I think that I can do as well without it as with it. Col. Jackson has forbid the Liquor Dealers to sell to the soldiers, but they still get it on the sly. I believe that there is less whisky drank in our company than in any other company here.”

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