_Washington, May 13, 1864, 2 o'clock p. m._ DEAREST MOTHER--I wrote you a
hurried letter late yesterday afternoon but left it myself at the P. O. in
time for the mail. You ought to have got it this forenoon, or afternoon at
furthest. I sent you two letters yesterday. I hope the carrier brings you
your letters the same day. I wrote to the Brooklyn postmaster about it. I
have heard from George up to Tuesday morning last, 10th, till which time
he was safe. The battle of Friday, 6th, was very severe. George's Co. K
lost one acting sergeant, Sturgis, killed, 2 men killed, 4 wounded. As I
wrote yesterday, I have seen here Corp. Fred Saunders of Co. K, who was
wounded in side, nothing serious, in Friday's fight, and came up here. I
also talked with Serg. Brown, Co. F, 51st, rather badly wounded in right
shoulder. Saunders said, when he left Tuesday morning he heard (or saw
them there, I forget which) the 51st and its whole division were on guard
duty toward the rear. The 9th Corps, however, has had hard fighting since,
but whether the division or brigade the 51st is in was in the fights of
Tuesday, 10th, (a pretty severe one) or Wednesday, I cannot tell, and it
is useless to make calculations--and the only way is to wait and hope for
the best. As I wrote yesterday, there were some 30 of 51st reg't killed
and 50 wounded in Friday's battle, 6th inst. I have seen Col. Le Gendre.
He is here in Washington not far from where I am, 485 12th st. is his
address. Poor man, I felt sorry indeed for him. He is badly wounded and
disfigured. He is shot through the bridge of the nose, and left eye
probably lost. I spent a little time with him this forenoon. He is
suffering very much, spoke of George very kindly; said "Your brother is
well." His orderly told me he saw him, George, Sunday night last, well.
Fred McReady is wounded in hip, I believe bone fractured--bad enough, but
not deeply serious. I cannot hear of his arrival here. If he comes I shall
find him immediately and take care of him myself. He is probably yet at
Fredericksburg, but will come up, I think. Yesterday and to-day the badly
wounded are coming in. The long lists of _previous arrivals_, (I suppose
they are all reprinted at great length in N. Y. papers) are of men
three-fourths of them quite slightly wounded, and the rest hurt pretty
bad. I was thinking, mother, if one could see the men who arrived in the
first squads, of two or three hundred at a time, one wouldn't be alarmed
at those terrible long lists. Still there is a sufficient sprinkling of
deeply distressing cases. I find my hands full all the time, with new and
old cases--poor suffering young men, I think of them, and do try, mother,
to do what I can for them, (and not think of the vexatious skedaddlers and
merely scratched ones, of whom there are too many lately come here).
Dearest mother, hope you and all are well--you must keep a good heart.
Still, the fighting is very mixed, but it _seems steadily turning into
real successes_ for Grant. The news to-day here is very good--you will see
it [in the] N. Y. papers. I steadily believe Grant is going to succeed,
and that we shall have Richmond--but O what a price to pay for it. We have
had a good rain here and it is pleasanter and cooler. I shall write very
soon again.