Lucius E. Bidwell Co. B, 14th Connecticut Infantry KIA at the Wilderness May 5 1864

Battlefield of The Wilderness

In camp on North side of Rapidan, Feb. 7, 1864

My Dear Mother—

Our Heavenly Father has again saved your son Lucius safely through another battle and one of the worst kinds of a battle too. It was a night fight. Yesterday morning about 5 o’clock we were routed out of our beds with the orders to pack up and fall in. We took up our line of march for the River Rapidan at about nine o’clock in the morning and reached the river about an hour after. We crossed the Rapidan by fording it about noon. We had to ford it, it was up to our breasts and it was a very rapid stream, so much so that if we had accidentally slipped, we would have been carried down stream, and stood a very good chance of finding our graves at the bottom thereof. But as far as I know there was no accident of the kind happened, only now and then one would slip as he was crawling up the opposite bank, which was very steep, but no serious harm was done to my knowledge, but givng them a good dunking, and wetting their cartridges.

The water was very cold--it makes a fellow’s feet and legs ache, I tell you! But go it, we must follow our leader through fire and water. The regiment known as the Garbaldi’s Guards, a New York Regiment composed of Dutch, Irish, and Italians refused to wade because they said it was too deep. But General Hays, knowing of it, jumped from his horse without saying a word, and left his horse this side of the river and waded across to the other side, picking out good footing, and then waded back after his horse. They saw that he got over safe, so they finally plunged in, and arrived safely on the other side. I tell you what he is - a regular tiger! I suppose you have heard of him before. He is in command of our Division, and goes by the name of 'Fighting Ellick'. He rides along the line of skirmishers with his hat in his hand, cheering the men on, crying, 'Give them hell boys give them hell.’ He is an old tiger, he is most always a little tight when there is fighting going on and then he is in his glory.

He thinks the Old 14th is about right he is always pressing us up. He was with us in the thickest of the fight crying out 'give ‘em hell, 14th--Bully for you! Bully for you, go in, boys, go in 14th!’ and so on--the balls flying around his head like hailstones without flinching in the least. He is a regular dare devil!

We marched to a hollow facing the rebels breast works, and remained there until about 5 o’clock within rifle shot of their rifle-pits. They sent a few shells over to us, but most of them passed over harmless. But two or three took effect, killing three or four and wounding several. They had only fired several shots when it was ascertained that the Rebs had ...a solid line of battle advancing on us. We were ordered to advance. The bully 14th taking the load, and charged at the double quick time. They met us half way and poured an everlasting fire into us which caused us to waiver for a moment, and with a deafening yell we made a rush, pouring a volley of blue pills into them which they won't soon forget and put them to flight, and drove them to their rifle pits.

By this time it was dark as pitch, we could not see our foes until we met them face to face, some shot at one another and knocked each others brains out with the butt of the musket. We were fighting in squads most of the night, each man for himself. 

Continue reading the rest of Lucius Bidwell's letter at http://www.pastvoices.com/usa/lbid18640702.shtml

KIA: 1863 Letter from Alvin Brown of Ohio Infantry

Removing wounded across Rappahannock River
after battle of Chancellorsville
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.32812

Camp Brooks Station March the 15th, 1863

Dear Father--

I am well at present. I hope when these few lines reach you, they will find you the same.

I did not receive a letter from you for about three weeks. I wrote you a letter to you a good while ago. I was waiting for an answer from you, but I did not receive an answer yet today. So I thought I would write another letter to you. I hope there is nothing wrong that you don’t.

I had wrote in my other letter for a fine comb and some black thread. If you get this letter, send me them things, if you can. I have not much to write this time. I must tell you one thing yet and that is, we expect to have a hard battle at Fredericksburg before long. I received a letter from George about three weeks ago. I could [not] answer his because I could not get any postage stamps. Nothing more at present.

Answer soon. Alvin Brown 

Alvin M. Brown of the 107th Ohio Infantry. The letter is undated and is not addressed. Alvin M. Brown was killed in action at Chancellorsville in May, 1863.

Read the Brown brothers letters:
Alvin 1862 | Alvin 15 March 1863 | George 29 March 1863 | George Oct 16 1863 | George 28 Jan. 1864

Wishing you had an ancestor photograph? Check out the 1800s photographs and antique photo albums on Lost Faces. There are over 3,500 photos in this growing genealogy collection

KIA Private Julius J. Bardoni WW2 Letters

Find A Grave Memorial# 56371053

World War II correspondence from Private Julius J. Bardoni, Wyandotte, Michigan, 1941 - 1944.

Some excerpts:

"This place they call 'sunny Italy' brrr, it's cold as ---- in the mountains and when you do get down it's always raining.... I've been overseas for fourteen months, seen action in Africa, Sicily, and now Italy while those slackers are still in the states. They'll probably use those guys in the Pacific but after it's over with over here I'll try to go along with those recruits.... Things have changed since I last wrote you. I've been on this beachhead since 'D' Day and it's been pretty hot at times but maybe not as bad as you might read about in the papers....

Say, are they still rationing gasoline around home, I'd be in a heck of a fix if I'd be lucky enough to get there.... Here's a little tip, get out of communication work because in the artillery it's no picnic, you'd be with the infantry as much as with your outfit if you picked the short straw.... Do your best and try to get in as a paragraph trooper of the chairborne command (ink to you). Cannoneer is your next best bet because you don't have to go on observation posts and be shot at all the time.... Since I've ben on this God-forsaken beachhead I don't much give a damn anymore. You're like a duck on a pond and everybody's shootin' at you. When you're up on the line you die about a thousand times a day. If your outfit isn't attacking you're being attacked and so it goes. I figure a guy lucky if he gets hit and goes to the hospital...."

Handwritten letter to his sweetheart, Phyllis Mlotkowski, of Wyandotte Michigan, from Africa, June 12, 1943. In part: "I have received only seven letters since I arrived November 8.... After we landed in Casablanca we fought for four days and it was all over and they asked for volunteers to go north to the front and I was one of them and I went throught just about all of the Tunisian Campaign. I was in five battles with this outfit, the 168th Infantry, perhaps that's the reason I wasn't getting my mail regularly.... My old outfit is asking for volunteers to come back and I did it again. I'll be back with them before this letter is delivered to you. It will mean more artillery fire and more bombs but I want this war over as soon as possible so we can be together again.... I've been in Tunis four time already and picked up a few souvenirs.... Honey, I love you more than ever but it's like I told you in my last letter, if you think you found someone you like better, well, hon, then you may do what you know is right. I couldn't hardly blame you because Christ knows how long this is going to go on...."

Handwritten letter to Phyllis Mlotkowski, from southern France, September 2, 1944. In part: "Ever since I've been here I haven't had much time for anything. Writing paper is as scarce as furloughs.... France is really beautiful and so are the women. The WACs wouldn't stand a chance with these girls. In my estimation France is better and will continue to be better than all of Italy before the war...."

Group of four picture postcards, 1941 - 1942, each including a message sent by Bardoni from various military posts in the U.S. The return addresses Bardoni use variously place him with the 7th and 168th Infantries.

Sadly, Pvt. Bardoni was killed in France. Here is his burial record which I found online

Name:	Pvt Julius J Bardoni
Death Date:	21 Nov 1944
Burial Place:	Departement des Vosges, Lorraine, France