Editor’s Note: George Gove of the 5th New Hampshire wrote a series of letters from the Siege of Petersburg in 1864 to his sister. These letters were placed online in 2012 as: “Parsons Family Papers, Milne Special collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire, N.H.” Gove’s descendant Doug Parsons worked diligently to make these letters available for The Siege of Petersburg Online and we thank him greatly for his effort. The transcriptions of the letters collected on this page are copyrighted by the Milne Special collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire and may not be reproduced without the express written consent of the University of New Hampshire. All rights reserved.
June 23, 18641
Thursday June 23./64
Dear Sister
When I closed the other short I said we had orders to move, well we did move at dark back one mile to the rear. the next morning we started and marched to the left. early in the P.M. came up the rebs. had some skirmishing with them and then fell back a short distance & threw up rifle pits; the next day – yesterday – in the P.M. & brigades of our Div moved out to the front & right. Finally our brigade was ordered to follow we did so a short distance when the brigades in advance were attacked & we were doublequicked back into the rifle pits we had left. were just in season to pre
[Page Break]vent the rebs from rushing in over. we opened a heavy fire on them & they retreated in confusion leaving many of their killed & wounded. our regt had 3 men wounded, one of my Sergts being one of them. This makes 2 Sergts Killed & 2 wounded in my Co, this campaign. The 6th Corps on our left was not attacked.
This is a very bad country to operate in. it is covered with a thick growth of woods & bushes, water is very scarce, the weather is very hot, our object in this movement I think is to obtain possession of the Petersburg & Wilmington R.R. There has been no fighting today so far – 2 P.M. – we have got a position that no army of rebs can take.
I am well, the mail
[Page Break]has just come in and no letter for me. do write often, I must close this now or I can not send it till tomorrow. Johnson is well
George
Source:
- Parsons Family Papers, Milne Special collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire, N.H. The transcription of the letter on this page is copyrighted by the Milne Special collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire and may not be reproduced without the express written consent of the University of New Hampshire. All rights reserved. ↩