Dear Parents,

I now take this opportunity to write to you to let you know that I am alive and well.  There has been a great deal transpired since I wrote you last.

Upon leaving our camp near Bealeton Station on the 5th, we marched to Warrenton Junction where we joined the command of General Gregg.  We stayed here until the 7th about noon when we started for Hartwood Church with one squadron of cavalry as an escort.  We reached that place about 9 o’clock that night and joined the command of General Killpatrick’s First Brigade commanded by Colonel Davis.  Our captain was promoted to the command of the Second Brigade of Horse Artillery and remained at Warrenton Junction.   A lieutenant from some other battery took command.  We thought Captain Graham was a hard officer but he could not hold a candle to this man.  The next morning we had inspection and every man that did not have a full and new uniform suit, his name was taken down and requisition made out for them.  He stayed with us for four days and during that time a great number were punished severely for the most trifling offenses. He was ordered to his company at Charleston and great was the rejoicing.  The 2nd Lieutenant took command.  He is a very good officer.  The men all like him very much.

Hartwood Church is eight miles from Falmouth.  The old women there brought a great deal of milk, eggs, butter, corn cake, peaches, pies, and grapes to our camp and sold them.  We lived pretty high here.

We left here with Killpatrick’s command on the 12th and marched to Kelly’s Ford.  We reached there late in the evening and unharnessed.  Revelry was sounded at 5 in the morning.  We harnessed and saddled and got our coffee.  It now commenced to pour till daylight.  The column started about daylight and moved down to the river.  There was Rebel pickets on the other side.  Our men crossed and captured two.  One was an officer.  The rest fled.  Our men formed in line of battle on the other side and reconnoitered, but finding no opposition, we moved on.

We met with no opposition till we reached Brandy Station.  Here the enemy were stationed behind a range of hills.  We were joined here by General Buford, who had crossed at Rappahannock Station and General Gregg who had crossed at Sulphur; Springs.  We moved forward on the double quick for some distance and came in battery.  We fired 7 or 8 shots to a piece.  When the enemy were driven from their position, our brigade moved on the left flank and was not engaged until near Culpeper.

We had to go through a long woods.  We broke the tong to the piece.  The rest of the battery moved on and engaged the Rebs on the other side of the woods.  We put on the limber of the caisson and moved on.   The Rebs were on the other side of Culpeper.  We came in battery on this side where we are now encamped.  The cavalry charged through the town and captured 3 pieces.  We marched through the town.  The Second Brigade  and part of Buford’s pursued them to the Rapidan.  The Rebs would make a stand on every hill.  Our men would drive them from one.   They would go to another.  The loss on our side this day was very light.  We encamped that night about one mile from Culpeper.

The Rebs had made a stand here.  Their batteries had been placed on a knoll in front of a brick house in which a family were living.  Our batteries opened on them and put several into the house.  One killed a man and a little boy and wounded a woman.

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Pvt. Henry Brown, Flying Horse Artillery
Near Culpeper, Sept. 27, 1863

We continued our course, in the morning, toward the river, stopping occasionally and moving very slow.  Skirmishing had been going since daylight.  One battery was engaged before we got into position.   The bank on this side of the river is low and flat, while that on the other side is very high making a very naturally strong position.  The Rebs had but one battery engaged at first and we had nearly silenced it when twenty guns opened on us.  We continued firing about 20 minutes when we were ordered to limber up.  We had but four men to a piece.  The drivers had to carry ammunition.  The left section had 3 men wounded and in the center one the shells were flying so fast, they did not dare to fire.

The canoniers from our section were ordered to the other.  We drew the guns behind a hill by hand and limbered them up.  I mounted a team where the driver had been wounded and we drove off upon the run.   We had to go about half a mile across a level field in plain sight of the Rebs before we could get out of range.  We had a wheel knocked off but we made to draw it off.  We went about two miles to the rear and came into a park.  We remained there that night and the next day and the next night.

We harnessed and saddled and remained so till about 10 o’clock the next day, when we unharnessed.  In about a half hour, “Boots and Saddles” was sounded and our section hitched up and started for the river, upon the run.  The Rebels had crossed and were driving our pickets back.  A regiment of cavalry dismounted and was employed as skirmishers and went ahead.  Our piece came in battery and commenced firing.  Our skirmishers advanced and after about an hour succeeded in driving the Rebs across the river.   Sharpshooting was kept up all the afternoon.  We fired occasionally all afternoon. General Davis was there and many others.  Whenever they saw any object to fire at, we would fire.   We hit the object nearly every time.  General Davis pronounced it the best firing he had ever seen.  He gave our gunner great praise.

About an hour before sundown, a battery of four opened on us from a high hill.  We opened on them with two pieces and silenced them.  After we stopped firing, they would open again, when we would belch away again.  They would stop in this way.  It continued till sundown where we gave them a parting shot and retired to camp.  The Rebels admit that their battery suffered severely and thought our losses must have been great.  However, no one was hurt.   Thursday morning our section was ordered to the river.  We fired 3 rounds and left. General Killpatrick issued an order in which he complimented his men very highly.

Goodbye for now.

Your son,