James K. Lewis, Company I 16^th North Carolina Infantry Writes an Amazing Description of the Battle of Chancellorsville – “Gen’l Stuart came up…. He sat on his horse and talked with Pender some time and then we got orders to march.  Stuart stayed with us all the time.” – BE SURE TO READ THE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT COMES NEXT!

Written in nice dark ink probably our finest Confederate letter we have owned.  Author Robert K. Krick wrote about Lewis in Civil War Times Magazine, that article is included.  If you collect the very best, here is the letter for your collection. 

Fredericksburg, Va.
May 8th, 1863

Dear Mother, 
By God’s kind providence I am back here at our old camp and now trying to write to you after one of the severest fights I ever saw. We have been gone 9 days and in that time we have flogged Hooker completely. We were on picket on the 27th April when they crossed and began the fight. We moved up the river and fronted them.  They kept moving, trying to out flank us. On the 1st of May, we found they had massed their army up above us & we moved on them, came up to their position, drove them back several miles till late in the evening, we found out they were fixed for a desperate stand right in front. Our Corps of scouts was called out and marched out to reconnoiter the position. We did so under a heavy fire from their batteries & sharpshooters, advanced 2 miles, examined their position & reported to Gen’l Pender.  The Gen’ls thought the position impregnable from the front, and next day we marched all day and just before dark we attacked them in rear and on the right flank, stampeded them from their position and chased them 2 miles. By this time we were worn out completely. It was dark and we thought we could lay & sleep on the battlefield, but no, while we stood there waiting for orders to stack arms and rest, Gen’l Stuart came up. “Where is the 16th N. C.?” he asked. He sat on his horse and talked with Pender some time and then we got orders to march. Stuart stayed with us all the time. He had a brigade of Cavalry along to back us & moved us right in rear of the Yankee army & then told us what he wanted us to do. There was a new division of the Yankees, had just crossed the river and he had brought us in behind the army to fire into the camp.  He led us to the high bluff overlooking the river & right at our feet was a tremendous camp of the skunks, spreading up & down the river in every direction. I could have tossed a rock into the camp from where I was. We poured several volleys into them.  (They were cooking rations for the march next day.) Threw them into confusions, some ran, others formed in line of battle. At last they got to shooting one another in fine style & we took to our heels, ran back about a mile & hid in a chinquapin thicket, tickled to death about the trick old Stuart played on them. You don’t know how I enjoyed it, listening to them killing one another.

Next day (Sunday) we marched back and joined the brigade just in time to storm their position. We decided they had about 50 pieces of artillery playing on us, drove them from two lines of breastworks and took their position. If you could only have seen the woods where we charged now. They were cut to pieces by the cannon balls, bombs, grape canisters & minnie balls. You would have wondered that any of us ever got out alive. Every man in Co. I was struck but 3. I was struck on the hand by a shell which burst soon as it passed me, but it didn’t hurt me any & had the hinder sights shot off of my rifle & a limb cut off by a ball fell on me & one bomb struck the ground & burst 5 feet of my head while I was lying down.

Our Corps of skirmishers fought them all the evening and all night. While our whole army was fortifying their line, we had to stay out and fight them night and day, all day Monday and Tuesday & night too as well as day. We had to fight them continually. We didn’t have men enough to relieve us. Wednesday morning I scouted along the front and found out the main body of the enemy had fell back. I went and reported to Lt. Morgan. He insulted me for leaving my post. I couldn’t find Capt. McKenny, so after being rebuffed by our officer, I went on the other end of the line and reported to the Capt. of the Tenn. brigade skirmishers. He immediately started 2 scouts with me and ordered his whole Corps to advance close enough to support us. When we reached the edge of the woods & the skirmishers came up, we sent the Yankee Calvary & skirmishers flying before us like chaff in a whirlwind. We took after them and never stopped till we got into the fort, captured immense quantities of clothing, blankets, tents and guns & about 50 Artillery horses with the harness on them. I was the only one of Pender’s brigade in the scrape. I took 3 prisoners. Capt. McKenny reported Lt. Morgan to Pender for cowardice & told him how it was that the N. C. troops didn’t go with the Tennesseans. The Tenn. fellows say I am the best soldier in Pender’s brigade. Lt. Mills comdg. Co. I, who has been my bitterest enemy, offered me the office of 1st Sergt. in the Co. this morning, but I don’t want it. The whole brigade knows me now. We took over a hundred prisoners about the fort and from the vicinity. Our loss is great. Col. McElroy, Lt. Col. Stow, both mortally wounded. 1 man in Co. I killed & 19 wounded. Our skirmish Corps was almost annihilated.

Write to Fan & let her know I am well for I have no paper & haven’t time to write to her now. Old Sigel was killed & several of their other Gen’ls. It’s reported Gen’l Jackson lost his arm. A. P. Hill & Pender both slightly wounded. I was standing by when he fell. Be sure and write soon as you get this. I am too worn out to write more. Will do better in a day or two. I have been drinking plenty of Yankee coffee ever since the fight. I got your letter and Merry’s on the sixth past, Tuesday evening. I have no more to write now, so goodbye till next time.

Your Aff. Son
J. K. Lewis

#L5-8-63 – Price $2,950