Hd. Qts. 8th C.V. I. Augt 3, '64 Dear All, I've been intending to write every day particularly since our most disgraceful defeat of the 20th ult. Our corps moved to the left ^the night of the 29th^ and occupied the trenches of the 9th Corps they being massed for the charge. Our position was most favoarable for viewing the explosion of the mine, the charge & final retreat. Every thing worked most succefsfully at first, the blowing up of the fort viewed from our position was very grand - imagine five tons of powder buried twenty five feet beneath a fort & then exploded. I can compare it to nothing else that I ever saw. Troops from the 9th Corps charged soon after the explosion of the mine & carried the fort with very slight lofs & then extended along the con - necting rifle pits to the right & left - we could see the colors of several ^of our^ Regts to the right of the fort (right as we faced) & a larger number of colors to the left. Every thing was working finely. (Have been to dinner & feel better - had baked beef potatoes & turnips mashed & green corn & lemon ade dont you pity me.) To resume where I left off - what advances were being made beyond the first line we could not see. All this had occupied several hours & since the first advance of our white troops a very heavy force of blacks had been sent forward to reinforce. The Rebs had advanced once on our lines & had been repulsed. We ^our brigade^ had been firing from our line on the opposing line to prevent their flanking fire on the charging party. This presents the field as we saw it previous to the panic of the blacks & their retreat. We were as you may well greatly surprised & dismayed to behold the field suddenly filled with niggers on the full run for the rear like a flock of sheep & apparently without reason or cause & almost every man of them having thrown away his gun. The lines to the right & left of the fort were abandoned & of course immediately occupied again by the Rebs & our white troops were left alone in the fort which was now exposed to flank fire in addition to that in front, from three pits. These few troops (white) held the fort alone for three or four hours without any attempt being made to reinforce them & they were obliged to surrender. Leaving them there for so long time unsupported is to me most unaccountable. This ended the real fighting of the day. Oh how we felt to see the only troops who had fought well march over the embankment & surrender. Every thing has been gained & now every thing has been lost & we leave most ignominously whipped besides. The charging party to which our troops actually surrendered was much smaller then themselves but they were suffering heavily from the fire on the flanks and they could not retreat. Our loss from 4800 to 4900. We were relieved the same night & now occupy the same front as before but somewhat extended & not as heavily manned. our camp has been moved nearer the front & we are now pitched in a ravine out of fire [1] [top margin first page] Recd your of 29th ult with key giving express receipt Have not been able to send to Norfolk for it yet I have an opportunity this moment to send direct to Norfolk for the valise and box. 8 P.M. Uncle G. put this in the P.O. this noon & I just got it out All right George