Camped on the Battle Field near
	Sharpsburg Md Sept 22nd 
			   1862

Dear Brother
	After so long a silence
I will try and write you a few
lines. Aug 9th we left Frederic
-ksburg, since then I have not
had time to write to any one
scarsely but Rachl, and hardly
time to write to her. Sometimes
it would be more than a week
before I could get a chance 
to write to her, then I had 
to take a sheet of paper 
that I caried in my pocket
and write a few lines while
we were halted, and sometimes
while the Cannon Balls were
whistleing over our heads.
I have written to one or two
others besides that I had 
neglcted to answer for a long 
time, one of them was Father
______________________________ 
2
but enough of that, I rec your
kind letter of the 14th and was
very happy to hear from you
and to hear that you were all
well. I am happy to hear that
business is so brisk at Machinest
business. I hope it will continue
so after I get home, which I
hope and think will be by 
Spring. Nashua has done well 
in furnishing her Quota of
Troops and more. I believe
though Manchester beats her.
She has some 200, over her Quota
I think, but I suppos you would
like to hear some of my experia
-nce in War Matters, as to giving
you an account of the Differant
Battles we have been, you can
(and probably have) get a much
better account of them in the
Papers than I can give you.
The Fife of our Battery writes
_______________________________ 
3
for the Nashua Papers and gives
a very fair account of our Mar
-ches and doings. We have seen 
conciderable fighting since
Popes Armey, (or what was
Popes Armey but McClellans
now thank the Lord) fell
across the Rappahannock, but
we have not taken an active
part in but 3 of them, that
is to fire our pieces, we were
under fire however in 6 differ
-ent fights, two days on the 
Banks of the Rappahannock,
(one of them we took part 
and lost 3 horses,) once at
White Sulpher Springs Va--
two days at Bull Run, Friday
and Saturday. We took part in Fridays
fight where we lost 11 Men
Missing (with our Capt') and
had 3 Men Wounded, and lost
_________________________________ 
4
one Gun, the one I worked on 
I tell you I hated to leave it,
but if we had tried to save it
we should of stood a very 
good chance to got punched
a little by the Rebelbayonets, they 
had got so close on to us before
we left of fireing, one of our 
Boys did get hit with a Bayonet
Gen Hatch thought we done well 
to save any of our pieces, the
Saturdays fight we were on
the field but took no active
part, I saw the most of the 
fight however, it was no 
Childs play I tell you, it is
my canded opinion that if 
Gen McClellan had had
Command there, there would
of been a different result
to the Battle. Seigel held 
his part of the Field but
McDaniell failed on his, 
but as I said befor, thank
the Lord Little Mack has
the Command here now
no Man has the Confidence
of the Soldiers Equal to him.
The other fight we were in and 
very much so, was the Great 
Battle of last Wednesday the 17th
a hard fought Battle it was to
__________________________________ 
5
our Battery opened the fight
in the Morning on our Side 
it was in this wise. We were
ordered up the Night before
to Support the Infantry who
had got at it in a Pice of
Woods on our left, that is
on the left of where our
Battery came in, it being
qwite dark when we arrived
the fighting slaced soon
after. And we wrapped ourselfs
up in our Blankets and 
laid down on the Ground by
the side of our Guns and
Caissons, with one Eye open.
I let both of mine close
however and got a good Nights
rest, the Ground being quite
soft, in the Morning we
were woke up and ordered
in to Battery, (that is a fighting
posician) about a 100 yards
_____________________________________
6

distan, we had not more than
got in to Battery when a Rebel
Battery opned on us with one
of their Rifled Batterys, this
was at 6 OClock in the Morning,
we soon replied to them
however with our 12 Pdr
Howitzers, that being the
kind of Guns we have, in
a few minutes two other
Batterys of ours came up
and opned on the Rebes, in
one hour or so we Silenced the
Rebes, we fired a while longer
then ceased, at 10 OClock
AM. We were ordered on 
to that Part of the Field 
where the Infantry had been
fighting, as we passed over
the Field we had to move
the Dead and wounded (mostly 
Rebeles) to get along without
running over them. We came
__________________________________
7
in to Battery by the side of
a R I Battery who were being
handled rather roughly by
a Rebel Battery and Sharp
Shooters, in about 20 minutes
after we opned on them we
(the Rebs,) we Silenced their
Battery, we then moved a
on about 200 yds further
and Opned on a nother Batt
-ery but they were to far 
of for our Howitzers, 
they are alowed or calculated 
to fire only 1070 yds. We
fired a few rounds in
to a Corn field near by
and then being nearly
out of Amunition we with
drew near to the place we
ocupied in the Morning.
here we filled up what we 
could with what Ammunit
-ian we had in our Waggons.
________________________________
8
We halted here till about
five OClock PM, when a
Rebel Battery opned on some
Ammunitions Waggons which
had come up to bring Ammunition
for the Infantry, they were
exactly in our rear,therefore
our Battery was directly in
Range of the Rebel Battery.
they took us somewhat unexpec
-tedly, but we put our pieces
in Battery instanter and there
being 3 other Batterys in
posicion on a line with us
we all opned on them about
the Same time, and in less
than 15 minutes we completely
Silenced the Rebs. This ended
most of the Fighting for the 
day. the Rebes got the worst 
of it. That Night we sleped
by our pieces. the next day
there was no fighting and
has been none on this part of
the field since. We lost 3 Horses
and had 2 Men wounded Slightly.
Through the blessings of 
I have escaped through the whole
thus far not rec so much as a
scratch, for which I have
great reason to thank  and
do, my health is very good and 
am in good Spirets and believe
the war will be ended in a few
____________________________________
8X
weeks. We expect to exchange our Howitzers
_____________________________________________
5X
today for Light Ten Pdr Rifled Cannon. We
like that very much, but I must close
so this can go to day. Rachel wrote in her
last letter that She thought she should go
down to make you a visit this fall. Write
to her. Poor Woman she gets low Spireted
some times I guess. Give my love to your 
Family to Hellen and to all enquiring
Friends. Write often if I do not answer
I will do so as often as I can. God bless
you all. From your affectionate Brother
				T C Cheney

_____________________________________________