The following letter was written by Warren T. Ring (1842-1865) of Oldtown, Maine, who enlisted in August 1861 at age 19 to serve as a private in Co. C, 7th Maine Infantry. He was transferred in 1864 to Co. H and was wounded in the fighting at Spotsylvania Court House on 12 May 1864. Warren rose in rank from private to 2nd Lieutenant throughout the course of the war.
A US Headstone request for Warren was requested that gave his death as October 1865 in Shoshone, Idaho and his last rank as Capt. of Co. I, 1st Maine Veteran Infantry.
T R A N S C R I P T I O N
Camp Near Lee’s Mills
Warwick Creek
April 12th, [1862]
Cousin Henry,
I received your letter this afternoon. We are now encamped right in front of the enemy’s works. The 4th we left our camp at Newport News, the right of the army moving in the direction of Big Bethel & the left up on James river in the direction of Warwick. We are on the left.
The first night we encamped in the rebel’s barracks which they had left that morning. The next day our regiment went in the advance as skirmishers. We kept driving the rebel pickets in front of us for about two miles. When our boys came out of the woods into an open field, they saw the rebel flag flying on strong fortifications [and] our boys quickly fell back into the woods. It was about 400 yards from the woods that we were in to the rebel works. Both parties commenced firing [but] as they were both in the woods, little damage was done. As the roads were bad, it was some time before our artillery got up.
At last three pieces of Wheeler’s Battery 1 came out into the field and commenced shelling them. The rebels returned the fire with shell & canister. Company B, the color company, was ordered up to support the battery so that the way matters stood for 54 hours. There was two men killed & two wounded out of Co. B, one killed out of Co. E & H, and three or four others wounded.
At last Gen. McClellan arrived when we were all ordered back out of range so we are waiting for something—no one knows what. All that separates us from the rebels is Warwick Creek so our boys have some pleasant conversation with the rebel pickets. Some of our boys have found some old friends of thairn who used to belong in Maine.
The rebels are being reinforced every day from Richmond. There is probable 80 thousand there now. 2 It is thought we are waiting for heavy siege guns. I do not have anything to do now but go with the colors as I am one of the color guard. Our regiment is getting great praise from every quarter.
I got the papers you sent me and much obliged. I have got plenty of time and plenty to say but it is such hard work for me to get anything on paper, I shall have to close. You were speaking about bold Elic [?]. He is a cooking. The 6th Maine is getting played out.
Give my love to Aunty and tell her I shall be to home before long for they say this is their last stand here. From your friend, — Warren T. Ring
Direct your letter to Fortress Monroe, Va.
1 “Wheeler’s Battery” or Battery E, 1st New York Light Artillery commanded by Capt. Charles C. Wheeler. On April 5-6, 1862, the battery was part of Brigadier General W. F. Smith’s division (Keyes’ 4th Corps), aiding in the attempt to suppress Confederate artillery near the Warwick River. During the action on April 6, a Confederate 10-pounder Parrott shell struck an ammunition chest on one of the battery’s limbers, exploding ammunition and igniting packing materials.
2 Magruder initially held a 12-mile defensive line (the Warwick Line) with roughly 11,000 to 13,000 men but once Joseph E. Johnston took command, the total number of Confederates at Yorktown grew to about 40,000 by early May. It never came close to the 80,000 estimated by McClellan.
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