Letter to Sarah Garibaldi (Poor)

Scope and content:

Written from Washington County, Maryland. Letter regards the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Language:

English

Other descriptive data:

Washington County Maryland. July 10, 1863

Dear Wife
I take this present opportunity to drop you these few lines in order to let you know that I am yet alive, but my health is not very good though I am yet doing duty. I haven't received a letter from you since the seventeenth of May last nor I haven't heard any thing about you. You must write often at least once a week. I haven't written to you now for some time because I hadn't chance but when I had I send you a letter every week.

We crossed the Potomac river on the 18 of June. We have been up nearly to Harrisburg the capitol of Pennsylvania. We then came back and met the enemy at Gettysburg Pennsylvania and fought for three days. We whipt him badly the first day, and it then fell back, took up a strong position and threw entrenchments and repulsed us. We then fell back ourselves and took up a position but the enemy refused to attack us. After staying there a day without being attacked we fell back across the mountains where we are now about thirteen miles from the Potomac.

The river is completely swelled by the heavy rains so that we can't ford it for a week and it is believed that before we will cross the river the enemy will come and attack us and that it will be a very big battle. We have about fifteen thousand yankee prisoners that belongs to our corps besides them of Longstreet, and A.P. Hill's corps to fetch to Virginia. Our loss is pretty heavy. There was thirteen out of our company killed and wounded. Henry Gilliland was killed dead on the field. William Lawson was killed, David and Lee Gilbert were badly wounded, John Hepler was slightly wounded and the Captain and Lieutenant Clark.

I haven't time to write any more because that man is going to start out so nothing more at present but to reamin your affectionate husband untill Death.
John Garibaldi.

Subjects:

Gettysburg, Battle of, Gettysburg, Pa., 1863
Confederate States of America. Army—Virginia Infantry Regiment, 27th
Correspondence

Access and use