The 2nd Michigan At The Battle of Blackburn Ford

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A historically important Union soldier's view of the battle of Blackburn Ford, on "Three Cheers, For The Red, White and Blue patriotic stationery, 8pp. 8vo., by Pvt. Alfred Jeffrey, Co. K, 2nd Michigan Vols., [WIA Seven Pines, Va., May 311, 1862], Ca,p Winfield Scott, Washington, August 2, 1861, in part:"…we have been in constant commotion…marching towards the enemy, fighting them or else retreating…we have had a pretty tough time of it…I saw him at the inaugural…in Washington…from the time we left Detroit our march was a continual ovation…more like the return of a victorious army than a regiment going to the battlefield. We were greeted with cheers by both Ladies and Gentlemen…at Camp Curtin we were received with universal admiration of the whole citizens and soldiers of the city. There we had to get our cartridge boxes filled…for our Colonel had received a telegraph ordering him not to march through Baltimore. He said that we would…if he had to march through up to his knees in blood…in Baltimore, none daring to molest us except some few men behind the very great crowd who had assembled…with occasional hurrah for Jeff Davis until we got on board the train for Washington when one fellow from behind the fence fired a revolver at the cars and one of our men who stood sentinel on the platform returned fire…he was seen to fall…we arrived at the City of Washington…was reviewed by the President and Genl. Scott who said we were the best regiment of three years volunteers that had passed through the city…I took the opportunity of rambling over the city visiting all the places of note…the Capitol…is a very fine piece of architecture, but it is not yet finished…the city is not composed of so good buildings as the city of Detroit were it not for the public building[s] which give it a grand appearance…there is a great many shade trees planted about the buildings which give the city a very cool appearance…we got orders to march to Georgetown Heights…it was a desperate hot day, many of [the men] falling out of ranks with excessive heat, some received a sun stroke…I stood it like a brick hat…I was very careful and did not drink much water only rinsing out my mouth with water…we were not over 20 rods from the Potomac…we're also convenient to the Ohio and Chesapeake Canal, it running close to our camp…we had the orders to march into Virginia to force the foe. Accordingly we marched to a place called Vienna where the enemy had fired into a portion of the Ohio troops from a masked battery while passing there on the cars a few days before, but they left this place…we took possession of the place and stayed all night…at this place our brigade…composed of our 2nd Michigan on the right, Massachusetts 1st, New York 12th and 3rd Mich. Regt's under command of our brave Colonel Richardson, was joined by several other Brigades, the whole under command of General Tyler. We march[ed] to Fairfax Court House where we expected to have a pretty heavy battle…but they run like a flock of sheep leaving us in possession of the place without a loss of one life…they left a great many things in our hands, also 2 sick men in the Hospital belonging to a South Carolina Regiment. We did not hurt them…the next morning our Brigades separated some going one road, some another, not dreaming of anything else but Victory but we were doomed to disappointment…our General marched us to…Bulls Run…about 3 miles from Manassas Junction. Marched part of the Brigade into a masked battery which was built in the woods…in a side hill leaving the left flank of our regiment and the Michigan 3rd…in range of their battery without the satisfaction of receiving order to fire a shot…that was bad management on the part of Genl. Tyler. Oh, how the bullet did whistle around us. Their cannon balls killing men right by my side, the poor fellows laying there in the hot sun wounded and dying. It was awful to see them at first, but I soon got used to it. We had orders not to leave our ranks to help the wounded there being men for that purpose. The firing lasted about 3 hours then we retired, the Genl. finding 4,000 of us could do nothing with 25,000 of the Rebels. This was on the 18th. There was another battle on the Sunday following. We did not have any fighting though we expected it every moment we being in line of battle all day. The Mich. 3rd was engaged in this, Colonel Wilcox is wounded and taken prisoner…our regiment was the first in the field and the last out…was engaged…and retreated in good order...A. Jeffery." Also, included is a newspaper edition of the Pittsburg Dispatch, July 4, 1861 (fragmented) with text on July 4th celebrations and of commencement at Allegheny College. Both soiled, else VG

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