Tate, Jeremiah M. (fl. 1829-1877) to Mary

Dear Sister Mary
I once more have the exqisit pleasure of writing to you and informing you that I am in tolerable helth at present, as good as cood be expected from the hardships and exposure that I have under gawn in the late battles on the Raperhanack River, sum twenty miles from this place. We left the old camp on the 29th of April and was under fire evry day except one til the sixth inst, on Saturday and Sunday last the big fight came of at Chancelorsville, sum fifteen miles from Fredricksburg, The Yankes made a faint attact on the latter on the 29th of April we was orderd thare, when we taken our pursition we found that they had crost the river and it was thought that they wood make the attact the next morning, the rebels lay low and said nothing, and let them cross, the sharpshooters and picketts was firing into each other durin the day, but little damag did on either side late in the afternoon our battries opend on them and they recrost the river that night. [p. 2]
On the morning of the 30th we started at two o clock in the direction of Keles ford on the Rapperhanack, about twelve o clock that day we arived with in sight of the enemy but not near enoughf to do any damage hear we lay in line of battle til dark then moving off in a different way from that of the enemy, we continued the march sum five or six miles halted campt for the night rose early the next morning and moved off in a paralell direction to the enemy, kept up the march with out resting til about two hours and a half by sun in the afternoon now being in the enemys rear we was halted til about one hour by sun, Stonewall being our foremon and Rades his second, gave the orders to move forward and attact the enemy, we had not gawn more than one quarter of a mile before we cum in contact with the enemys Picketts the firing comenst, volla after volla of musketry was pourd in to them, whitch soon put them to flight, and in this way we drove them several miles throug the roughfest woods I ever saw, capturing [p.3] a number of prisnors, and many other valuable articals, night came on the thick woods prevented from pursuing them further that night, hear we campt on the battle field. My company, thare was kno one kild, but three wounded, Sunday morning the attact was renewd, the fight raged with grate fury til in the after noon, the Yanks being repulst at evry point and driven from there fortifications they fell back near the River, the rebels being wearied did not pursue them very fare, til they stopt and comenst throwing up brest works continued at this business til Tuesday evning, Tuesday night the Yankes taken the advantage of the darkness and the dense fog that rose along the river that night and crost back on there one side of the River, Wednsday morning our skirmishers was moved forward, but soon found that the army had made there escape, about eleven o clock we received orders to return to our old camps, the distance was twenty thre miles, sum few reacht thare that night but the grater number broke down on the way. [p.4]
In Saturday and Sundays fight we had three kild and twelve wounded fifteen taken prisnors from my company. Capt TC Belcher was taken, George Horton a cousin of Miss Alice was wounded his thigh is broke, the remainder of the wounded is usless to mention as you know nun of them. John West, William Ware and Lige Wallice was kild.
Mary I can assure you of the fact that so near run to to deth, I hadent eat any thing for two days and night so Monday and Tuesday I was not able to turn a wheel I had to give it up but I helt out til the fight was over. On Sunday I witnest the awfullest sight that the eyes of man ever beheld, that was I saw many of our poor wounded that was burnd to det afte they wer wounded, and all so hundreds of the enemy, it was caused by the woods taking onfire from the explosion of shells, the ambulance core could not bare the wounded of faste enoughf so those that was left burnd for there was no time to put out fire. [p.5]
Our commanding General was wounded in Saturdays fight, that is Old Stone Wall Jackson he was shot by our one men axidently, through the left arm, and had it ampertated that night but he will be in the field again as soon as he gits able. AP Hill has taken his command General Rodes has bin purmoted to Major General since the fight he has bin acting in the place of DH Hill for sum time, Rodeses Brigade open the fight on Saturday the second inst General Jackson complimented Rodes and his men very highly he said the world cood not beat the Alabamians.
I wood of written sooner but time and sircumstances wood not [illegible] of so doing. I lost all my paper and pens in the fight I had to thro away my napsack and all the clothing I had except the ones I had on, as it hapend I had on the worse but I hope to git more soon one soot is as mutch as I intend to keep on han at once and kep them on and if they git them I will go with them.
The Yankes was flanking us and I started to run out and soon found out that if I kep my napsack I wod be taken so away she went [p.6] fifteen stood still and was taken, the remainder of the company made there escape as I did by hard running the enemy was on thre sides of us and thare was but one little gap to run out at we made it safe, the balls came thicker around us than ever you saw june bug around a peech tree. I expected evry minit for one to strike me but I came out safe the tide of affairs soonchanged and the yankes wer going the other way as fast as quarterhorses, there loss was mutch grater than ours, the loss was hevy on both sides. I have not saw General Leees official report yet but rumor say that we taken twelve thousand Prisnors the ground was strewd with there ded and wounded I am confident that I saw three ded yankes to one rebel.
I will close my short letter by saying that I never want to git in to another as hard a fight for I can assure you that it was a warm place on Sunday, May the 3rd
Write soon and give the nuse. I wod write more but I have lost so mutch [slip written above the word "mutch"] and feel so bad that I want to take a nap. I have bin like a founderd horse ever since the fight no thing more at Presant I will write again soon.
Yours Truly J.M. Tate