FEBRUARY 22, 1864.
FORTIETH MASSACHUSETTS MOUNTED INFANTRY.
The Recent Disaster in Florida.

A private letter from an officer in the Massachusetts 40th (mounted infantry) gives some particulars of the loss in that regiment in the recent battle. The letter is dated Jacksonville, Feb. 22, to which place the regiment had returned. The regiment lost one officer, Lieut. Charles B. Leathe, and twenty men. The writer, "Charles Remick, wounded-not bad." Col. Henry had three horses shot under him, and the regiment lost fifty horses. The writer gives the total loss at eight or nine hundred.

Article in the Boston Journal; February 29, 1864; pg. 2, col. 2.

It is made available here through the courtesy of Thomas Hayes, tom_hayes@letterscivilwar.com.

Hayes is currently working on a historical reference work, "Letters of the Civil War," from the newspapers of the cities and towns of Massachusetts. He has researched the Boston Herald, Chelsea Telegraph and Pioneer, Dedham Gazette, Roxbury Gazette, Randolph Transcript, Worcester Transcript and the Malden Messenger. He says, "I have filed, by date, a little over 3,300 letters. These are from the Soldiers, Sailors, Nurses, Correspondents and Politicans. This project started out as a simple endeavor to find that one letter from my Grandfather, Walter A. Hewes, who served in the 1st Mass. Infantry and 4th Mass. Cavalry. To date, no luck, but I have about 30 more papers to research."

Other Letters from Olustee
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