Richard Weld - 44th MA Vols - Gen Foster Expedition - Battle Kinston !!

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/7/2023

Union soldier's 4pp. letter, some cross writing, written by Richard Weld who mustered into MA Boston Cadets, and was commissioned into "K" Co. MA 44th Infantry .Dateline, Newbern [NC] December 24, [62]. In part, "Saturday we did not march far as our advance was skirmishing and fighting with the enemy's skirmishers. Sunday we had the fight at Kinston and though we did not fire again, we were where the balls were pretty thick and had to march through all the wounded and dying. They were as cheerful as if they were on a pleasure excursion, telling us to go in and whip the devils and not minding their own wounds in the slightest. ... The enemy broke and ran just as we got onto the field, retreating across the Neuse river and setting fire to the bridge which they had previously tarred. Our troops were too quick for them, however. We saved the bridge and took about 400 prisoners. We crossed over the river and slept that night in Kinston, which is a very pretty village. It is hardly large enough to call it anything else. ... We were drawn up on one side of the river behind a fence and the enemy were in the woods on the other side in the trees and out of sight so that we could only fire at random, without certainty of hitting them. They were mostly sharpshooters and it was wonderful that there were not more killed. We lost 21 killed and wounded in the regiment. I lost one man killed. The enemy soon discovered our Colors and the bullets flew around and over our heads in a most unpleasant proximity. [Capt.] George Lombard [of Co. C] and myself, being the nearest officers to the Colors, were particularly favored. We stayed there about two hours. ... The next day went to the Neuse river bridge which we burnt and tore up the railroad & this cut off the communication with the South for the present. ..."

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