May the 15 63

Dear brother and sister as i have a little leisure time i take the opotuneity to wright a fue lines to let you know that a am well exsept i have the ereisipliss in my wright leg that bothers me by spells. Other ways i am well an i hope these fue lines will finds you all enjoying the same blessing we have had another battle thay say it was the hardest battle that has been fought sine the war comencet wether it was or not it was hard fiting as i wanted to be in. i was in the hotest of the battle an under fire tow day thay was the longest days that i ever saw in my life the way this battle was planed Gen Hoker sent three corpes down on the left of fredrickburg for faints. They laid the poontune bridge on to division cross the river an laid on the banck that draw the rebels all down on the left. When our mane force went up on the right to united states foard an cross the rappahanick an got in the rear. when the battle camence the rebels smelt the rat an turn on us an we could gaine the day but at the turn of the battle the eleven corps broke an run an through the left of the rebels on our corps witch being the theard corps as we had to fall back an fite to hope the rebels in check an while falling back the rebels maid a charge an took one rigiment an we turn around an maid a charge an took them back again an then fell back behind our batterys when they came up they had thare hats puled down over thare eyes. That way thay maid charges one after another an our men loaded thare guns with doubel carg of grape an canister an moad them down as fast as they came up. Thay soon got satsfide an left while we was fiting on the right. The three corps on the left too the hights back of fredreckburg an took fifteen hundred prisoners an twenty seven pieces of c seaye [sedye?] guns an got them on this side of the river. Thay was reinforcement to the rebels camp up river. After the mane army had fortifide then strong a nuff agants eny force that the rebels minte send. We was order back acrost the river an now we lay on our old campt ground at present. An why we was order back I can’t say. The loss in the battle was heavy. What we seen and could learn of the rebels prisners thare was to [two] to our one. Our cavalry maid a raid while we was fiting. Went within to [two] miles of richmon. Tore up the rail road an canal an destroyed a grate deal of goverment property an took good meny prisners. Got back to camp saft it is stated that we took five thousans prisners as we took prisners thare canteen all had whiskey in an nothing to eat. Thay sed thare rashion was a pint a flour a day. Old 86 cut up bad our company. Had fifteen privits wounded an our captin kiled. We have loss him a good captin

I have choisin christ as my captin an my leder an all you that havent chose him for you leder chouse him at wonce. He will keep you in that narro path that lede to life ever lastin. May we all chose him an by the grace of god may we press our way onward an upward so when we come to leve this unfrendly wourld we can be so unspeckble happy so we can gane that hevenly home whare parting will be no more. My dear sister i am bound to live so we never mete on this earth. We will mete in heaven. We have nice weather here now. Evry thing is all green an nice.

I send My best respect to all inquiring frends. You must let mister brown foulk no [know] how I am. It is a task for me to wright. If i am taking sick i will wright an let you no it. The 107 rigiment was in the fite when you wright. let me no wether jhon come out safe or not Wright

Good by for this time
A W Canfield

Directions
A W Canfield
Co. D. 86 Regt.
N Y Vol
Washington DC

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Notes from Dennis Morris: Augustus W. Canfield was the brother-in-law of Elsie Griffith Canfield and the uncle of Anna Jeannette Morris, my great-grandmother. He was the 8th of 13 children of Judson and Salome Canfield, and was nearly 34 years old at the time of this letter – old for a volunteer private. Augustus Canfield apparently volunteered for service in Elmira, N.Y., the day after John Griffith and the 107th left for Washington, on August 14, 1862. Canfield was assigned to a veteran regiment, the 86th N.Y. Volunteer Infantry, a group mainly out of Steuben County and originally raised in November of 1861. His company, Company D, was generally from Hornell, N.Y. Now part of the III corps of General Dan Sickles, they were in the middle of heavy fighting at 2nd Manassas and Chancellorsville. Canfield’s description of the tactical details of the Chancellorsville battle is surprisingly accurate for one with only a private’s viewpoint, and his surprise at being pulled back across the Rapidan river was shared by many a Union soldier who had fought tenaciously for ground that first week of May in 1863.