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Oliver Boardman correspondence and journals, 1861-1863

06_1862-04-24 Page 06

always heard I thought they shot three times as high as they did here. by going around throug the woods and noticing the marks on the trees you would see fifty balls low enough to kill a man to where you would see one too high I dont believe in such low shooting I can tell you its not very plesant a fellow cant tell but what every minute will be his next &c we were considerably worsted sunday though not whiped by any means but there was agreat many discouraged. in fact it did look a little discourageing to most any one they didnt gain as much in the afternoon as they did in the fore noon our forces were more together and were pretty near amach for them still they kept working their way slowly toward the landing they were determined to get there.  they kept rallying and charging but to no effect apart of General Buels force got there in time to be of some assistance and afew siege pieces and the old gun boats that we had there talked loud and long to them and by giving them plenty of grapes and everything else that was good they concluded to let us alone till morning. 
I was not with the our Regt any more from sunday evening until tuesday I found Ed Med though and Charley Claver and Henry Roberts and several others of the Regt this was sunday night and monday we done some good fighting  Henry Roberts was is our color bearer we fought in part of two other Regts we had a lieutenant from our Regt to command us as a company. our whole force moved toward the enemy by aflanking movement our line was about two miles long I dont know how many men deep but not a great many. they didnt have very far to go till they came to the enemy  when the engagement became general I was on the right wing our line ran north and south and we moved to the west where I was we came up to where our men had abattery

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always heard I thought they shot three times as high as they did here. by going around throug the woods and noticing the marks on the trees you would see fifty balls low enough to kill a man to where you would see one too high I dont believe in such low shooting I can tell you its not very plesant a fellow cant tell but what every minute will be his next &c we were considerably worsted sunday though not whiped by any means but there was agreat many discouraged. in fact it did look a little discourageing to most any one they didnt gain as much in the afternoon as they did in the fore noon our forces were more together and were pretty near amach for them still they kept working their way slowly toward the landing they were determined to get there. they kept rallying and charging but to no effect apart of General Buels force got there in time to be of some assistance and afew siege pieces and the old gun boats that we had there talked loud and long to them and by giving them plenty of grapes and everything else that was good they concluded to let us alone till morning. I was not with the our Regt any more from sunday evening until tuesday I found Ed Med though and Charley Claver and Henry Roberts and several others of the Regt this was sunday night and monday we done some good fighting Henry Roberts was is our color bearer we fought in part of two other Regts we had a lieutenant from our Regt to command us as a company. our whole force moved toward the enemy by aflanking movement our line was about two miles long I dont know how many men deep but not a great many. they didnt have very far to go till they came to the enemy when the engagement became general I was on the right wing our line ran north and south and we moved to the west where I was we came up to where our men had abattery