Moses Greenwood’s Christmas Letter, December 1862
The following letter was written from a Civil War battlefield by Moses Franklin Greenwood wishing those at home a Merry Christmas. According to the Greenwood Genealogies, Moses was born in Hopkinton, Mass November 2, 1827. He was a shoemaker in Marlboro, Mass and served in the 5th Massachusetts Regiment from Sept 19, 1862 until July 2, 1863. He lived until December 18, 1895. If my math is correct, he would have been 35 years old at the time this letter was written. He is my Grandfather’s grandfather (Moses – Clifton – Grover – John – myself, Richard).
Click here to see the map of New Berne to Goldsboro NC
###
Headquarters, Newbern Regt, 5 Co. B Camp Pierson Dec 10, 1862
OUR UNION SHALL BE PRESERVED
Dear Mary
We have been on another Expedition. I have taken some notes and will send them to you. Received orders the 9 to cook up 3 days rations & be in readiness to march in 36 hours. This morning drawed rations & commenced cooking. Knapsacks to be packed & sent aboard of a transport with camp cooking stoves cooking utensils and — camp fixings. 4 of us set up till 12 o’clock to give out rations of salt pork raw salt pork & hard tack & each man with his coffee with sugar to go with it & have the privilidge? to make it by camp fires.
This morning Tuesday Dec. 11, we were ordered to fall into line at six o’clock with woolen & rubber blanket haversack of rations canteen gun & equipment with 40 rounds of cartridges. It is now about eleven o’clock & we are not a mile from camp yet. I suppose they are making up the train. It is said there is over twenty thousand a going. We are now lying on the ground a resting. Don’t know when we are a going but expect some fighting before we get far. It is thought we are going to Kingston but we don’t know. Don’t expect to go back to Newbern. I have got a bad cold as well as a good many others.
10 o’clock at night. We have orders to halt for one hour. We have got 4 miles from our camp at Newbern since morning. It was over a hard road & quite a number of places to ford over. Have passed some of the picketts. Have halted the? hour. It is the first time that we have halted today knowing how long we were a going to stop. Have halted? fall in? a great many times & —– get set down before we are ordered to fall in.
Well I made me some coffee in my tin cup eat some rations & ordered to fall in ten minutes past 11 o’clock accomplished 8 miles from Newbern & marched into a cornfield to camp at 4 o’clock Friday morn the 12 of Dec. I made me a cup of coffee & laid down in my blankets with my cartridge box for my pillow. Got up at six made some more coffee & marched at seven. It is a very clear morning for this part of the country. Yesterday morn it was so foggy I could not tell who a man was that I knew well more than a rod off till nearly 10 o’clock. The road is better & they are putting us through today.
It is now 11 o’clock & we are halted. There is twenty one Regmts. of infantry 10 batteries consisting of 50 pieces of artillery & 3000 cavalry. We are in rather a dangerous position on the march. Our Brigade which is the fifth it is composed of the Mass 25, 27-46-3-&5 commanded by Brigadier Gen. Lee under Gen. Foster. This Brigade is the baggage guard of over three hundred wagons loaded with stores & ammunition & our Regmt. The 5th is the only regiment in the rear of this train of wagons a place where they are apt to pitch in & try to capture. The wagons they are drawn by four horses each but we have not had any trouble yet. We have passed two or three wagons that were broke down & left. One was capsized off a bridge in a stream. The fellow who was on it must have been pretty spry the load was all in —- it. We passed our pickett lines in the night. Our advanced? which is some ten? miles ahead of us had a skirmish with the rebels yesterday 1 o’clock & we are on the march again.
We were halted near three hours to give the head of the army time to clear the way as the rebels had felled trees to retard our move. We expect a large force of rebels ahead. 3 o’clock we have passed where the trees were felled across the road. They had to cut them away. Some of the trees were over two foot through. They were felled across the road in large numbers for nearly a mile & perhaps more. It is all the way woods & swamp nearly. We worked on till dark when we passed through a long stretch of pine woods all on fire to light the way pitch trees & they would burn up to the tops? As though they meant it some I should think were 200 feet high. When they march in the night woods and fences have to stand it. The fences are Virginia fences. They are high & dry. They burn like powder after giving us a hard march of a few hours they came to a house where they halted 2 hours. The fences were on fire the whole length of the Regt. In the house were four or five wounded Rebels that our cavalry captured out of a force of 50 or 60 Rebel picketts that were also cavalry.
At about 10 o’clock we started again through mud & water & about 12 o’clock camped for night in a cornfield. Then the operation of coffee making commenced again I made coffee 4 times. Today, Saturday morn. The 13th word fall in came about six & we are on the road again. We are now about 23 miles from Newbern making it we marched about 15 miles yesterday. We expect to reach? Kingston tomorrow in good —– but such roads to get over I never saw. They —- —- army stores to lighten the loads of the companies at the head of the Regiment just made way with a barrel of sugar & a barrel of hard tack. It was all taken before our Company got near it to get any.
We are now halted in an old swamp that is wet and mirey as usual. 10 1⁄2 o’clock we have just passed the 51stMass Regmt. Where they are camped & cooking beef pork poultry & they have 17 prisoners to guard that was taken last night. The 5 that were taken yesterday told where they were in a house. They were infantry. We now hear cannon ahead. They say there is a rebel Battery ahead about 8 miles. Evening we intended to have reached camp in good season but the baggage has been stuck in an old swamp & we ahd to wait for them & we did not get to camp till 12 o’clock but it was the best camp ground we have had on either march. It is a pine grove. I have no good water & I am too tired to hunt up any so I will camp without any till morning.
Sunday Morn Dec 14 I have found some good water so here goes for some coffee. They give us a 3 days ration of hardtack & some more coffee & sugar as our other ration had give out but we have no meat this time. They have given us 20 ex rounds of cartridges this Morn making in all enough to fire sixty times. I shall not carry mine though for I have load enough now & I think as many as I shall use. 10 o’clock & we are in line to march some where we don’t know where. It is about 9 miles to Kingston from where we are there was a rebel battery taken last night by our Artillery & Cavalry. They captured 4 brass field pieces besides quite a number of prisoners. It was but a short distance ahead. The 51 Regt. & the 46 Mass are left back on pickett. We are left here for the same purpose. 4 Companies have already gone out & we are to be ready at a moments notice so we are refreshing ourselves? the best we can. 3 o’clock the cannon is booming ahead & I had a few walnuts. 3 or 4 of us set cracking them & —— —– while the fight is a going on ——. —- – —- ate some as a luxury from old —–. I picked them the Sunday I was in Cheswick?.
5 o’clock none of our Company has been called upon until now. Our first Lieutenant & sixteen of our men I am one of the sixteen. Our Lieutenant was ordered out about 3 miles from camp with us. Some little distance by our picketts to guard some baggage wagons back to camp that had been to carry ammunition to the battle field. I have got back & am glad of it for it was dark & muddy all the way. I got into one place while crossing a ford up to my waist so I got pretty wet & muddy. I will now make me some coffee & go to bed as some of the boys have built bough houses & it is my luck they have made arrangements for me to stay in one.
Monday Morn the 15 up all rite?? Have had our breakfast & rested a spell & it is 7 1⁄2 o’clock. We are order to march go over the same road that I went over last night. Suppose we are going to Kingston. Well we are on the road we have got past where I went last night. We have come to two houses. They are used for Hospitals for the wounded. Some of those that were not wounded bad like losing 1 or 2 fingers or so came out and told us about the bloody battle they had had the day before & said there was 200 dead rebels ahead. We went on & came into a piece of woods where there was lots of trees of quite a large size cut off by the artillery’s shots. We passed on & soon came to the place where the fight took place by infantry. The Rebels first attacked our men in a woods as they were fording a place nearby knee deep in mud & water but the Rebels were in an open field. They killed our men in numbers but our men worked themselves through the ford got into the open field formed in line? – —- & went at them. Drove them to Kingston through Kingston & out about 2 miles so our forces came back to where the fight commenced & took another road for white Hall a place on the road to Goldsboro?. We marched till 9 o’clock at night & accomplished about 20 miles that day & encamped in a cornfield with a large part of the army.
Tuesday Morn 16 at nine. We heard the boom of Cannon ahead again at 10 we broke camp & started on the march the belch of Cannon continuing very sharp ahead. We all felt that we had got to go into battle. Every man was still? & marching on at a quick step. We got near where the fight was going on & Ordered to halt. We had passed a house they had taken for a hospital & so we met now & then a hospital team with wounded men. We started to march again we did not know where we were a going but we supposed into the fight but they marched us by where the fight was a going on not very near there as we were passing bullets whizzed through our ranks. One passed about a foot over my head. They hit a number of men belonging to our regiment as we were passing along but there was but one wounded so he could not march along with the rest of us. A man belonging to Company E from Hyanis? down on the Cape was shot through the fleshy part of the thigh. We passed on until we were out of sight of Battle. We did not know whether they were taking us to some other scene of the same action or whether to some other place but we marched through the day till dark & so they encamped us for the night in another cornfield.
Wednesday Morn 17 we were called into line at seven o’clock & started on the march. We marched until about 1 or 2 o’clock & we heard the Cannon again on ahead. The word soon came back that there was two Regiments of Rebel Infantry in an open field & our forces had shelled them. Out they skedaddled into some woods some half mile ahead. We followed them Double quick our artillery got into position & commenced shelling the woods all round where there seemed to be any chance for them to be & it seemed this was the object of the expedition to arrive at this point Evansville so called & destroy the railroad so the Regt of infantry were formed in line of battle to support the artillery. Except the 3d Regt which was set to work pulling up the railroad & burning the bridges which were large and took them a year to build. Where the pulled up the track they piled the sleepers? in piles & set fire to them with iron rails piled on top to heat & bend. This they done? for the distance of a mile or two? more? —- was done about five miles below Goldsboro cutting railroad communication between Goldsboro & Wilmington at the same time this was being done another part of our forces were destroying the railroad between Kingston & Goldsboro. We burnt a large bridge near Kingston going up to hinder the rebbs cutting us off on retreat. After the accomplishment of what we have done by destroying the railroad at Evansville {I don’t see where the ville is though for there is but one house & that is back a piece} we had formed in line for a back march. Most of our forces had left the field some had got 3 miles from us. We had given three cheers for our object accomplished cheered for Gen. Foster etc?. When the Rebbs began to pour forth from the woods on the right with the most unearthly howls you ever heard in numbers that would make you think of black ants running over their nest after disturbing them. Belgeirs Rhode Island Battery was quick in position opened on them cut them down by sections brought their Colors to the ground twice & the 5thMass Regt was quick in place to support the Battery. We stood up in line of Battle till a charge of Grape and canister came from the woods on our left among our ranks with good range but the balls were spent so that they done serious injury to no one although they obliged some to leave the ranks with slight wounds. Quite a number struck near me so I could see them lay at my feet. The size of the Grape shot was about as big as an English Walnut. Were then ordered to fix bayonets & lay on our bellies ready for a bayonet charge which we did with a determination. The Rebbs threatened a number of times to come up try to take our Battery but the Battery kept up such a deadly fire on them both to the right and left calling on us for gods sake boys don’t let them have the Battery. Meanwhile the Rebel Battery was playing on us from the woods on the left but their balls went over our backs. We had our equipments haversacks & canteens all on with our blankets on our backs. One piece of shell struck Mr. Ally’s blanket. 1 piece went through a fellows cap taking some hair with it but did not hurt the fellow. 2 pieces went through our Colors. After a while we could see nor hear nothing from the Rebels but we laid there till near dark & our Battery kept shelling the woods & then we formed in line to leave. We had laid there so long we were all a tremble from cold. We crossed a river that was about a foot deep when we came on to the field but when we went off it was up to my waist but we all had to wade through those that was not so able as me had to stand it just the same as I. The Rebbs had let away a dam on us & the water was rising all the time. I would give considerable to know how many Rebels were killed there. There must have been a good many. The 27th Mass Regt charged on them twice in the woods on our left and they skedaddled.
We marched back to where we camped the night before in the same old cornfield about 12 o’clock at night. The way we lighted our march we set the pine woods on fire on both sides of the road so you see when we halted a minute we could be drying our cloths well in the morning Thursday 18 we felt pretty well considering but we felt some fear that the Rebbs might cut us off so we started pretty early & put it through & put it through till about 10 o’clock at night when we came in sight of our camp where the whole army was in camp excepting lots of straglers on the road for miles back. Fences & woods on fire all along & squads of soldiers making coffee & roasting sweet potatoes. The hard tack had got rather scarce but the camp we were going into when we came in sight was cheering for tired fellows like us. It was the prettiest sight I ever saw. I could tell you how it looked but I cannot begin to write so to tell you. Squads of us went into the woods to build our camp fires & sleep because it was warmer.
Friday Morn 19th we commenced our march 7 1⁄2 o’clock & put it through till dark. Nothing particular occurring. Encamped in another cornfield of course but as fortune would have it there was woods around as usual so we could go in & build our camp fires.
Saturday Morn Dec 20 we marched at 7 o’clock & encamped in some woods. That night it was pretty cold night.
Sunday Morn Dec 21 we started for Newbern with 13 miles to march. The ground was froze pretty hard & we got over that pretty easy. Arrived in Newbern at about 1 o’clock. A tired set. Some fellows did not get in till near night although they have a rear guard to drive um? up there was a good many dead horses along the road. Killed by the loads they had to draw through slough holes. They most? all have got a bad cold sore feet Rheumatism or something a used up set. They are having a good many boxes coming now there is four or five of them in this tent had boxes come since we got back rich cake & pies chickens apples butter cheese pickles sauce etc. The pies & cakes & chickens are a good many of them spoiled. Corporal poor? had a flour barrel full of stuff come today. They make it —– to treat the rest in the same tent with each kind. I have been treated today — apples plum? pudding pickles pie doenuts cake and roast goose & other things since we got back from the march from the friends boxes that came from Boston Charleston & Somerville. If I was a going to have a box sent to me I should rather have apples cider butter or cheese and then it would not be so apt to spoil. I have thought I would send for some apples or cider. Mr. Priest says the rebels tried pretty hard to shoot him. He drove a hospital wagon for the first Brigade. He was in active duty at white Hall picking up the wounded & the balls flew round his head pretty thick fired at him he says the first Brigade that he was in was New York Pensylvania & New Jersey 3 years troops. I wish you all a merry Christmas & a happy New Year you & the children in particular. The paymaster is here. We expect he will pay off in a day or two but they say he keeps back $2.87 per month. If that is so I guess you better send me two or three dollars. I suppose it is in case we take more clothing than we are allowed.
Moses F. Greenwood
###
During my cross country trip when traveling from Norfolk to Raleigh, I went through Tarboro, NC and encountered this historical plaque. Note at the bottom of the map you’ll
see Goldsboro to New Berne where Moses Greenwood served during the Cvil War as
part of Foster’s Expedition. More details here.
