We arived here about 4 Oclock this morning after marching 12 or 14 miles during the night and are pretty well tired out I tell you. I sent you a few lines day before yesterday to let you know that I was safe and sound, but as I have heard that no letters have been sent from here since the fight, I dont know if you received them. We left Fredericksburg Sep 12th2 and have marched almost every day and often all night since and as we have had no tents, of course we have had to sleep out in the woods and fields rain or shine When we left Fredericksburg we marched 30 or 35 miles to Culpepper from there we went to Cedar Mountains from there to Kellys Ford on the Rappahannock river to keep Jackson from crossing, from there we went to Warrenton from there to Warrenton Junction and then to Mannassas Junction where we arived a few hours after Jackson3 had destroyed a large train of cars and buildings at the Depot, from there we started for the old Bull Run battle feild where we arived on the morning of Friday, August 29th and found the fight going on, our side haveing altogather the best of it. After resting a short time the first Brigade of our Division (which is Reno's Division)4 were ordered into a peice of woods where the enemy were strongly posted and our Brigade which is the 2d was ordered to support a Battery of light Artillery which was posted on a hill, we threw off our knapsacks and formed line of battle in a ravine in the rear of the Battery but as the enemy did not see fit to attempt to take the Battery we had nothing to do but lay off as we were protected from the enemys fire by the hills in front of us. In the meantime our first Brigade had been driven out of the woods with heavy loss and had fell back to where we were posted, just before night we were ordered into the woods but just as we were about going in we saw the enemy make a very desparate charge on a Battery on our left where the 14th of Brooklyn5 and the other regiments were posted and we were ordered to halt and here we stacked arms and stoped for the night during the night a volley of about 20 shots were fired into us and some of the balls passed mighty close to my head as I lay in the grass we jumped up and seized our rifles but as the fireing ceased we lay down again and slept till morning when we were ordered bact to the Battery where we stayed untill about 5 Oclock in the afternoon when as the enemy had broken through our left (were McDowell6 troops were posted) and were trying to flank us and cut off our Artillary and baggage train our Division was ordered to hold them in check untill the trains could get out of the way We went in on a double quick and with a yell and our Brigade being left in front and our Company being on the left we ran slapp into the rebels before we knew where we were (as it was getting quite dark) was so close to them that I could hear them talk very plain and some of the rebels sung out to us not to fire as they were our own men and as soon as we came up as close as they wanted us to they poured a volley into us and before we could form in line of battle they gave us one or two more. Our men broke a little at the first volley but we soon rallied them and then began about as sharp a fight as I ever wish to see. As soon as the action commenced I took a rifle from one of our men who had been shot and I took 8 or 10 cartridges from some of the wounded and had a few shots on my own hook which seemed to encourage the men very much we soon drove the rebels but they rallied and came on again but we were ready for them this time and they gave way again and fell back we stayed there and waited for them till about 9 Oclock but they had enough and did not make another attempt and as the trains and all passed on towards Centreville our Regt left the field marching company front we being the last Regt engaged in the terrible fight of Saturday and the last to leave the feild we fell back as far as Centreville where we lay Sunday and sunday night and on Monday the enemy made another attemt to cut off our baggage train as it was falling back from Centreville to Alexandria our Brigade with Stephens and Kearnys7 brigades were ordered to move down and engage them and our Regt was ordered into a Cyprus swamp on the extreme right where the trees were so thik we could hardly walk and the rain was falling in torrents completely soaking us. we only found a few of the enemys skirmishers who we drove out but the Regiments who went in on the left of us among which was the Mass 21st belonging to our Brigade and who have stood side by side with us in all the fights we ever had was completely cut to peices our regiment has lost in killed and wounded and missing 92 or men of which our company lost 15
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