Civil War Letter from Private William Brooks, Co E, 161st New York Volunteer Infantry, Elexandra April 26, 1864 . Find your ancestors and learn their history.

Private William Brooks
Co E, 161st NYVI

"and they thought to take all us they was mistaken for we cut them all to peses one day they attacked us in our frunt and rere all at once but they drove thare ducks to a bad market we killed from 3 to 4 thousand and tuck 3 thousand prisners ..." Private William Brooks Elexandra April 26th 1864

Elexandra April 26th: 1864

Dear wife and children

I will try to write to you A line to let you know that I am still in the land of the living and well and hope that you are all well I got yours of the 3th yesterday and was glad to here that you was well

I am afraid that if you go to keep boarders you will work to hard but you must keep a girl to help you now I will tell you something about our march we left camp th 15 of Mar cince that we have marched 524 miles and have fought 3 hard battles I was not in eney of them we first met the rebs at a place called sabine cross roards we had bin held in reserv all untill almost night then the rebs was reinforsed by 10 thousand and our men begun to give way then our division was called for and they whent in but I will not try to discribe it I cannot it was alful the rebs tryed to take a betrey and we let them get almost up and then we opened on them - - - - -

we killed 1300 in one hour that night we fel back to plesant hill and they followed us and they got to clost for we killed a host of them but banks [Major General Nathaniel Banks, commander of the Red River expedition] kept on the retrebe untill we got to a place called GranD Core [Grand Ecore] on the red river and we styed thir 11 days but we stayed to long for the rebs got all round us and they thought to take all us they was mistaken for we cut them all to peses one day they attacked us in our frunt and rere all at once but they drove thare ducks to a bad market we killed from 3 to 4 thousand and tuck 3 thousand prisners

we have stopped hear how long we will stay I cannot tell I had like to for got to tell you what we done as we come we burnt every thing for fiftey miles wide and 100 in lanth that was fun fore me if we stay heer I am agoing to cend home for a box some think that we will stay heer untill hot weather is over I hope we may unless we could go on the miss river we will have to have more men before we can go up through texes - - - - -

I will close tell the children I will write to then if we stay a few days untill I get rested little

No more from Wm R Brooks to Jane Brooks and all the children 1234 Stamps

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Private William Brooks Co E, 161st NYVI

"and they thought to take all us they was mistaken for we cut them all to peses one day they attacked us in our frunt and rere all at once but they drove thare ducks to a bad market we killed from 3 to 4 thousand and tuck 3 thousand prisners ..." Private William Brooks Elexandra April 26th 1864

Private William Brooks
Co E, 161st NYVI