1        Bucks County Intelligencer  Letter from a Wounded Soldier  June 10, 1862  Page 3  Column 5        1

 

Letter from a Wounded Soldier.

[Timothy Cadwallader of Company K, of the 104th Regiment,

who was wounded in the great battle on the Chickahominy,

writes as follows:]

ST JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL, PHILADELPHIA, June 5, 1862.

Messers. Editors :—I am not in Dixie’s land—not in the old

Dominion, where slavery spreads its wide desolation ; not in the

land of Virginia, where picket duty must be performed—

where digging trenches, falling timber, building forts, &c. to

protect ourselves from the rebel fire ; not on the battle field,

amid the sound of the booming cannon and the whizzing bullets ;

not in our little shelter tents, where the enemy encamped the

night after Saturday’s battle ;—but in a land where the air

breathes more free and pure—in the land of Pennsylvania—in

the city of Brotherly Love—in the good old Quaker city ; in a

city where everything appears in the most lovely form; where

the fragrant flowers and the delicious oranges send their sweet-

ness through the streets, where every thing meets our eye but

that is good to eat.  You know us soldiers cannot eat what the

Quaker city affords, after dining on pilot bread and pork.  Think

us soldiers could live on such delicious things as we see here ‘ 

Why to eat what Philadelphia affords would take us off our feet,

and make us sing Yankee Doodle worse than ever to the rebels

in the Southern rebellion.

As I sit here and write, with the stars and stripes on the gas

lamp above my head, and the room I occupy with twenty-one

wounded soldiers besides myself, with wounds on every part of

the human frame, I think of that fatal day—the thirty-first and

last day of May.  Never will that day be forgotten by me.  How

nobly did our officers rally their men, and how nobly did the men

rally to sustain the good old flag.  I think our Regiment acted

well and nobly in the good cause.  Too much cannot be said of

our brave Col. W. W. H. Davis.  After the greater part of the

men had fallen, or were badly wounded, and the enemy were out-

flanking us, our brave Colonel, with a wounded arm, and with

what few men he had, rallied them to a piece of woods on the

right, in order to keep the ground until reinforcements came up. 

He held the ground here as long as he could, but with such an

overpowering force of the enemy he was forced to fall back. 

Particulars of the battle I cannot give.  I know not how many

survived the terrible conflict.  I know not how many breathed

their last from the effect of the enemy’s bullets.  I know not

how many were borne from the field with wounds of every kind.  

But I know the hospital contains men with every kind of wounds

—some with their arms and legs off—some with wounds in the

head, legs, arms, shoulder and thigh.  Wounds of every descrip-

tion are to be seen here.  I escaped with a ball through my leg,

one through my haversack, making two holes through my cup

and plate.  Now, what shall I do when I return—no cup or

plate, to make coffee and cook my rations.  Alas ! the poor,

black china ware is gone; but I shall keep them as mementoes

of that eventful day.  Little did I think when we left our en-

campment, that we were so soon to be shattered and torn by the

enemy’s bullets.  Soon after leaving our camp ground we were

opposed by a deadly fire from the rebels.  We, in a little while,

made a charge upon them with the bayonet, which I think had

a good effect upon them, as it kept them back until reinforce-

ments were nearer at hand.  I received my wound a few minutes

before the Regiment retired.  As I walked slowly off of the bat-

tle field, taking it cool and my time at it, the bullets came whiz-

zing by me, with shells falling and bursting around me, and men

falling in every direction.  It is a wonder I did not receive more

of them.  I walked to a hospital where I had my wound nicely

dressed by a Surgeon; then we were ordered to go to Savage

Station, and take the cars for White House landing.  I arrived

at the landing some time in the night, when we were taken from

the cars and put on the Whildin.  We lay here all day

Sunday.  On Monday, at 10 o’clock, a. m., we moved off, and

arrived at Philadelphia about 12 o’clock on Tuesday night. 

Here we had to wait till 9 o’clock, a. m., for orders, whether we

would go to the Philadelphia hospitals or be taken back to Ches-

ter, in Delaware county.  At 10 o’clock, a. m., we were taken

ashore, and hauled in wagons up to the hospital, where we now

are.  We received the kindest attention in every respect, both

by the Doctors and Sisters of Charity, while on board the

steamer Whildin ; and now all our wants are supplied by every

kind attention in St. Joseph’s Hospital.  The rooms are large,

plenty of air, nice beds, and every thing accommodating.  I

sympathize with the bereaved wives and parents who have lost

their husbands and sons in the great battle.  I also send my re-

gards to all who escaped in Company K, and are in camp, and

my friends at home.  All letters received by me from them will

be duly responded to.  Yours, &c.                         T. C.