Camped on Sharpsburg Battle
	Field Sept 26th 1862
My Dear Brother
	I will improve
the opertunity that I now
have in writing a few lines
to you in answer to yours of
the 15th inst. which I rec. the
20th, and also to let you know
that through the Blessings
of  I have passed through
a nother Battle unharmed,
for which I feel very thankful
to my Heavenly Father. I will
not attempt to give you an
account of the Battle of
last week a Wednesday, for
you will a much better account
of it in the Papers than I can
give. it was a  hard fought
Battle. The Rebels fought
Desperate, and they Suffered
terrbly for it. They were
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piled in heeps as it were, one
place where we went over
the Field to take a new posi
-cion, we had to move the
Dead and wounded mostly Rebeles so we could
get along without runing over
them. at a nother place I
saw a long winrow of Rebels
that lay along in a Straight
line as they were killed
where they were cut down by
Canister from one of our
Batterys as they advanced on
it, (they were driven of) it was 
a hard looking Sight the
worst I have yet seen, our
Battery took an active
part through the whole fig
-ht, on the day. we opned
the Battle on our side at 6
OClock in the Morning, and we
with 3 other Batterys closed 
the fight (except some Skourmishi
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3
-ng by the Picketts) at Night
about 5 OClock, although we
took a very active part in the
Battle, Through the Providence
of  our Battery Escaped
with the loss of only 3 horses
and one Man Wounded and one
Brused a little. The wounde one
has only a flesh wound in the 
Arm, in the Morning we
were ordered forward in to
Battery, (that is a fighting posic
-ion) about a hundred rods from
where we had halted the
Night before. w had not more
than got in to Posicion when
a Rebel Battery opned on us.
We soon replied to them however
with earnest, pileing Shell
and Sphericall Case Shot among
them fast. soon one or two more
of our Batterys opned on them
and one hour or a little more
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4
we Silanced the Rebes. We fired 
a little longer than ceased
fireing. we Stoped in this
Posicion till 10 OClock AM
and were ordered to a new
Posicion on the Field where
the Infantry had been having
a hard Strugle, going to this
posicion was where we had
to move the Dead and Wounded
just as we were entering a
Cornfield, we went in to Battery
by the Side of a R I Battery
who were being Roughly hand
-led by a Rebel Battery, in about
20 or 25 minutes after we opned
the Rebes, we Silanced their
Battery. We then moved to
a nother Posicion and opned
on a Rebel Battery, but our
Guns being only 12 Pdr howit
-zers and ranged for only 1070
yds, we could not reach
them. They had Rifled Guns, 
and could reach us, but they
done us no damage. we fired
a few rounds of Spherical
Case in to a Neighbouring Corn
field, where we supposed
likely and were very confident
were a lot of Infantry (Rebeles)
and then withdrew to a posicion
on a knowl near a barn and near
to the place where we fired in
the Morning. We withdrew because
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5
we were nearly out of Ammunit
-ion, here we filled up from
our Waggons with what they
had and then got us some
Dinner being rather late for
it however. we stoped in this
posicion till 5 OClock PM,
when a Rebel Battery opned
on some Ammunition Waggons
exactly in our Rear that were
there to offer Ammunition
to the Infantry. We unlimbered
(being Limbered up at the time)
in qwick time and opned on
them (the Rebes) you better believe.
there were 3 other Batterys
along in a line with us at
the time. they all opned
on the Rebel Battery too, and
in less than 15 Minutes we
Silanced them completely.
this ended most of the figh
-ting for the day. we keped
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ready for them however all
Night long and the Next 
day and Night, but we heard
nothing from them. They had
fled and are now are across
the Potomac, probably never
more to return. This McCll
-ellan with nearly the Same
(and but little more as far as
I can learn) that Pope had at Bull Run, has gained two
Splendid Victorys in Md., the 
first at South Mt near Mid-
dleton (in which we were not
engaged but could see some of
it) and the Great Battle of
last week a Wednesday at or
near Sharpsburg. The Soldiers
went in to the fights on those
two occasions having confidence
in their Commanders, knowing
they could trust them, at
Bull Run they did not feel
so, at least such was the
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case with McDowell, who Com
-manded the Armey Corps we
belong to, since we got back
to Uptons Hill, he has been
removed and Old fighting
Hooker put in his place. we
were highly pleased with the 
change, he was everywhere
on the Battle Field last Wednesday.
We are sory he is wounded.
There are many pretty pla
-ces in Md Fredericktown or 
City, is a very pretty place
of some 9,000 Inhabitance. it
Sits in a wide Valley, which
is a Splended one and rich Soil,
most of the Inhabitace where
we passed are good Union People
and Cheered us as we Marched
by and give us Water to Drink,
The Star Spangled Banner
was displayed in many places,
it looke and Sounded Odd to
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us to see the good Old Flag
waveing from the
Dwellings of the Inhabitance
and hear the ocupants of those
Dwellings Cheer us and offer
us water as we Marched by.
I say it looked odd to us who had
just come from a State, where
there was nothing but Sower
looks an ill treatment, not
so much as a Drink of Water offe
-red to us.  bless the good
People of Md. it looks
now as though this Rebelion
would soon be crushed out--
litle Mac is at the head of 
the Armey in the Field now
we are willing to trust to 
him. I see that N H has four
-nished or soon will do so her
qwota of Troops without Drafting
this makes me feel Proude of
my native State. She has already
fournished some of the Best
Troops sent out here. We have
exchanged four of our Howit
-zers, for Rifled Guns, and
Shall the other two as soon
as we can get them. I thank
you for those letter Stamps,
they are worth more than money
to me, if any thing, we can get them
handyer in Md. tho than we could in
Va. when we have the money. my 
health Excellent and Spirets
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5X
good. how soon we Shall follow the Rebes
in to Va. I can not tell, but hope soon if it
will end the war sooner. Give my love to
Laura and Family, tell them to write I am
glad to hear that you have persuaded Orison
not to Inlist it is no place for him in the
Armey. Let him remain contented where he
is. With much love to Emily and yourse
-lf I close, Praying that God may bless you
abundantly. your Affectionate Brother
			T C Cheney