Cavalry Clashes During The Chancellorsville Campaign

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A great war-date Union soldier's 4pp. 8vo., letter written in pencil by a Corporal Wallace Mitchell, Co. C, 16th Penn. Cavalry, Hartwood Church, [Va.], May 4, 1863 to his friend George outlining their operations during the Chancellorsville campaign including some very close calls, reading, in part: "…I have heard plenty of the bullets whistle…our division have been marching and pitching into them every opportunity for the past 3 weeks…Warrenton we left…the 30th of April we crossed at Kelley's Ford…and advanced onto our old Battlefield of the 17th of march and met the rebs again and went into them. They had to give way again. They need not tell me the reb Cav[alry] is better than ours. I was in the rear squadron…our reg. went in with the saber. We drove them [and] they hustled themselves out of our reach after a sharp firing of about two hours…they shelled us a while. The nearest one that came to me went over head an[d] burst about ten rods in the rear. (They are cannonading like [?] now)…the next day we advanced in order of battle for Culpeper (this is the way our squadrons advanced----- ----- -- ---------- ----- -- ---------- ----- -- ---------- ----- -- -----3rd 16th Tidball's 4th Pa. Battery)We marched by what would be called the right flank in infantry. It was the prettiest country…nothing to hinder our march but fences. The prisoners leveled them. We arrived at Culpeper May 1st …to our disappointment the rebs had left…so we followed on…the next morning the firing commenced…our forces made a big show to draw the rebs up…I went out on picket…I am out on picket now…the cannon still roars…Old Joe will give them enough this time…the 2nd May we left Gordonsville…[on] a hard march. Lots of…horses lay down and died on the road…we camped that night on a little flat by the Rapidan. On the opposite side was a high bluff like the one down at the dock at Erie. Our reg…camped about ten…rods from it. We unsaddled our horses, spread our blankets and some asleep. I was sitting on my saddle eating a hard tack when all of a sudden the bluff was all a blaze and the lead came a perfect shower. A reg of rebs had opened on us…there a hustling among us. Some run. Some showed fight. Horses broke loose. Some commenced saddling. I buckled on my arm and lit out on one side and commenced operations on my own hook. By this time our carbines begun to crack pretty briskly and the rebs run. I went out as skirmisher as soon as our ranks were formed. The rebs skedaddled about then and we moved our quarters back a ways. May 5th the battle still goes on. I have no time to write anymore now…". Corp. Mitchell signed by only using his first name. Research shows that there was only one individual with his name in the brigade he was in and that man was from Erie County. Some soiling, else very good.

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