The following letter was written by James Porter Holt (1838-1863), the son of Samuel Holt (1803-1891) and Elvira Estes (1808-1852) of Bethel, Oxford county, Maine. James was married in February 1859 to Mary Hicks (1838-1861), but after her death in June 1861, he mustered into the 5th Maine Light Artillery on December 4, 1861. He and the battery fought at the Second Battle of Bull Run on August 29, 1862 and at the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862, where the 118 men were part of General Gibbon’s 2nd Division of General Reynolds’ I Corps of General Franklin’s Left Grand Division. The chief of artillery in his report stated, “The batteries of Captains Cooper and Leppien on my left did good service. The practice of the Fifth Maine (Captain Leppien’s) attracted my special notice and admiration”.

On May 3, 1863, Holt was killed at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Orders had been received by Captain Leppien from Colonel Wainwright, chief of artillery of I Corps to move the battery to the front and report to General Reynolds, commanding the corps. While on the way to the front, orders were received from General Hooker that the batteries in reserve should move along to Chancellorsville, which was near the center of the Union line, and report to the chief of artillery there. Upon arriving and reporting, the battery was ordered to take position in an open field just to the right of the Chancellor House, with the left piece near one of the outbuildings. The Confederate line extended along the southern edge of the field and into the woods at a distance of 450 to 500 yards. As soon as the battery emerged from the woods and made its appearance upon the open field, the Confederate infantry was removed from the Federal front, disclosing the enemy artillery posted in the rear and partially covered by a slight elevation. The Confederate artillery had the exact range and immediately opened the most destructive fire the battery had ever experienced. Men and horses of the 5th Maine began to fall before the battery was in position In addition to Private Holt, five other men were killed in action, and 43 of the battery’s horses were killed..

James wrote the letter to his older sister Juliaett Matilda Holt (1834-1901) who married Augustus (“Gust”) Estes sometime prior to the 1860 US Census.

Transcription

Headquarters 5th Maine Battery
Camp Augusta
March 7th 1862

Dear Sister,

I seat myself this evening after so long a time to answer your letter. You must excuse me for not writing before. I have been waiting to get my picture to send. I have got it but it isn’t a very good one. I am here in Augusta, tough and hearty.

Aunt Hannah was here yesterday and brought Pason and I a box of provision. It made me think of home. She said the folks were all well. She come to Winthrop Wednesday and down here yesterday and back last night. They have had a very hard winter there and plenty of snow and it is drift[ed] bad. There was a storm last week that blocked the railroad up so the cars did not run for a week. There has not been a great deal of snow here this winter and not as cold as I have seen it in Bethel. It is muddy enough here now. I suppose you have plenty of it now.

I have no news to write. We don’t know how long we shall stay here. We have been expecting to leave every week for three or four weeks but don’t seem to get away yet. The soldiers all seem to enjoy themselves tonight. Some are reading and some writing. Some are playing cards and others are singing songs. We hear good news from the seat of war. It seems as though they won’t want us unless we get there pretty soon.

I should like to go home in sugar time but I can’t get away now. I cannot write more now. Write soon as you get this. Tell Gust to write to me. Give my love to all enquiring friends if any there be. Accept the same yourself.

This from your brother, — James P. Holt, 5th Maine Mounted Battery, Augusta, Maine

[to] Julia M. Estes