Alexander Biddle was a member of the prominent Philadelphia Biddle family and was married to Julia Williams Rush,  the granddaughter of Dr. Benjamin Rush.  Biddle served with the 121st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, beginning in September 1862. Starting out as a major, he would participate in Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, among other engagements, and would leave the service as a lieutenant colonel. (He was commissioned, but never mustered, as colonel)

Transcript

Monday July 6th 1863
Bivouac near Emmittsburg

Dear wife
We this morning moved from our position near Gettysburg to within a mile of Emmittsburg. there was a little firing on the 4th July but no action – in the night it rained continuously, we sleeping on a rock next morning the 5th the rebels had left – we remained whilst other Corps moved off and moved to day – the road very muddy but all cheerful – the loss of both Armies will prove to be frightful – Antietam not to Compare to it. I rode over the battle fields in the afternoon with the Colonel – Although burial parties had been out all day – they were still lying in every field horrid to see – in one place I saw four rebels dead side by side as if they had been all killed at the same moment – arms, accoutrements, dead horses, broken gun Carriages added to the dismal scene. the rebel entrenchments were very strong – far more perfect than our own – and much more Carefully prepared – their barriers and rifle pits were everywhere. I rode to the field where the battle of the 1st July was fought at such disadvantage by us. It seems that Doubleday was ordered by Howard to keep the position at any cost – our firm resistance enabled the 11th Corps to take its position on the Bellevue hill and the Army to form its plan of operations – on the field in the direction of the fire of our regiment were many graves and we found some 15 of our men in the hospital – some slightly, some very badly wounded – To day we have marched not knowing exactly what was to take place and now hear that we may march back again. At present there seems to be some uncertainty about our movements – The Colonel is again in Command of brigade and I have the fragment called a regiment.our four regiments in this brigade look about as large as one ordinary one. I have dear Julia endeavored to give a sketch of all we have done – last night I again slept on a rock with a blanket over me it rained during the night and was not very comfortable, my clothes having been pretty damp for the last 48 hours – Louis too is a little lame – he struck his foot on some sharp thing in our last nights ride. The people are Coming back to Gettysburg but I have seen little or nothing of any defensive efforts of theirs. I close dear wife. Good bye. God bless you, Uncle & the children.
Your loving
Alexander

Citation: Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), autograph letter signed to Julia Williams Rush Biddle, 6 July 1863. Rush IV:30:33

Alexander Biddle was a member of the prominent Philadelphia Biddle family and was married to Julia Williams Rush,  the granddaughter of Dr. Benjamin Rush.  Biddle served with the 121st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, beginning in September 1862. Starting out as a major, he would participate in Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, among other engagements, and would leave the service as a lieutenant colonel. (He was commissioned, but never mustered, as colonel)

Transcript:

Saturday July 4th 1863. Bivouac in the field —

Dear Julia
Yesterday has passed away with success to our arms after a terrible shelling for two hours and a half and an attack on our position which was entirely defeated – the rebel loss must have been frightful – it is clearly so for the ground is strewed with their fallen and wounded – Longstreet is not a prisoner but is said to be wounded – A General Olmstead is prisoner– This morning the rebels appear to have retreated some distance as our skirmishers are considerably advanced – yesterday we had two men wounded by the shelling and indeed it is nothing but God’s Mercy which has saved our little command for there is no other expression but terrible to designate the character of their fire – last evening we had another sign of promise in a beautiful rainbow and afterwards a storm of rain which only reached us slightly – We had but little to eat but quite enough and slept undisturbed on some fence rails inclined against a stone wall – Our force this morning sums up 82 men and 6 officers – the increase being – the Colonel, Adjutant & Doctor returned from Brigade Hd Qrs and Lieut Powel from the sick, together with some stragglers and men from the town who were prisoners now recaptured. The day is overcast, looks likely to be rainy – I could tell you incidents of risk and escape without number but I do not like to dwell on them I thank God for his merciful preservation of me and trust his protection will be granted to us and that we may succeed in driving our foes from our soil– May he bless and preserve you dear wife and dear Uncle and the children. I have written this in hopes of finding a chance of sending it and now hear it can be done so close it up.– I have just seen Ashhurst, Adjt of the 150th, wounded in the shoulder – Langhorne Wister was wounded in the mouth on the first the day of our repulse he is a prisoner– Frank Webster is said to be killed–

I hear that the old soldiers say this is the worst fight of the war – working parties are now out burying the dead – there are many rumors afloat – one is that Beauregard was to join Lee from Richmond with 25,000 men – another is that the Harpers ferry troops under French will join us to day or to morrow, 20,000 strong, another is that Couch from Harrisburg is moving with the new troops on the track of those who have been withdrawn from before the town I pray that God may grant us success – and I think that the new life that success has given to us will also avail a very very great deal under God’s mercy– May we receive due blessing with thankfulness and with kind dispositions to avail all who fall into our hands– Again dear wife may God bless and preserve you and ours and grant to us and dear Uncle many happy years of peace to soon come
Your loving Alexander

Citation: Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), autograph letter signed to Julia Williams Rush Biddle, 4 July 1863. Rush IV:30:33

Alexander Biddle was a member of the prominent Philadelphia Biddle family and was married to Julia Williams Rush,  the granddaughter of Dr. Benjamin Rush.  Biddle served with the 121st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, beginning in September 1862. Starting out as a major, he would participate in Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, among other engagements, and would leave the service as a lieutenant colonel. (He was commissioned, but never mustered, as colonel)

Transcript:

Bivouac on the field near Gettysburg
Friday 3rd of July 1863

Dear Julia
Yesterday and up to this time to day we have been in battle, at times under very sharp shelling but holding the reserve position – we are formed on a line of hills nearly in the form of a “U” about two miles round. the dot is about where we are and where we have been since the battle of the first – we have moved about 200 yds with the various changes ordered but always within a short distance of our first position We are now facing westward with a barricade of rails in front of us and beyond are two regiments of our brigade and still further out our skirmishers, who are only occasionally firing. Yesterday we had sharp attacks at 4 different periods of the day on every point of our position without impression on us. To day we have had very sharp shelling and a heavy attack on our right which is now quiet. guns are heard in the distance towards York. Our loss has been great and so has that of our adversaries greater I think than our own – they fought beautifully with great judgment but I think will be well satisfied with their foe as worthy of their best efforts – the Rebel general Barksdale was brought in last evening and died in our hands, shot in the breast and both legs – You have heard that we lost Reynolds on the 1st I am getting along very well Chapman now commands the regiment – General Newton having been ordered to take command of the 1st Army Corps which sends Doubleday back to Division Rowley to Brigade Chapman to Regiment and myself to my Majority– I am a little in trouble just now as I have no horse. yesterday evening about six Oclock our position was violently shelled which caused us to get ready to receive an attack and black boys and horses disappeared together with the provisions so that we have no horses and nothing to eat we have got along pretty well by assistance from other regiment God bless and preserve you dear wife and grant us his merciful aid without which efforts of men avail naught and lead this awful war to an early and useful end Love to Uncle and our darlings.
Your loving Alexander

After writing this, about 4 O’clock in the afternoon our position was violently shelled – Doubleday & Rowley both said they never heard more violent shelling. every minute they burst or solid shot ricocheted over us After this they drove in our skirmishers and pushed up to the brow of a hill on our right, for a moment they took a battery but it was immediately retaken. the result is Longstreet wounded and a prisoner – Garrett wounded lying on the field.Gibbons division took 14 stand of Colors, on our front they were repulsed. I think I have seen some 2000 prisoners pass us during the day Their shelling still continues at intervals, sometimes severely. To day is certainly a great success – for which thank the mercy of God to us and our suffering Country.

Your loving AB

Citation: Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), autograph letter signed to Julia Williams Rush Biddle, 3 July 1863. Rush IV:30:33

Alexander Biddle was a member of the prominent Philadelphia Biddle family and was married to Julia Williams Rush,  the granddaughter of Dr. Benjamin Rush.  Biddle served with the 121st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, beginning in September 1862. Starting out as a major, he would participate in Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, among other engagements, and would leave the service as a colonel.

Transcript:

(Wednesday July 1st 1863) hearing the sound of Artillery all the time.at last we passed the brow of a hill on a pretty broad road leading into Gettysburg and saw a large number of Cavalry – we first formed in a field and then got orders to move further to the right– We did so, got into a wheat field by a point of woods through which we saw the troops of Wadsworth’s division charge driving the enemy – we remained in this field for several hours always under fire – sometimes of shell sometimes of solid shot which tore up ground and broke around us but did no harm the enemy in front and in strong force on the right so that their Artillery bore on us from both points– We changed our front frequently and made many as I thought unnecessary moves by Doubleday’s orders. Saw the fighting on our extreme right– Saw at this point two lines of rebels come down to attack our troops one supporting the other, this attack was so far successful that it extended at last over to Wadsworths division, which we changed front to the right to support – here shell flew thickly round us Transportation was hit in the leg by a minie– we were then attacked on our left (our former front) by two lines of rebels, both of greater extent than our four regiments. we changed front to the left and after a great deal of ordering we got two regiments on the right and two on the left of the battery firing towards them, my regiment being on the extreme left but largely overlapped by the advancing rebels – the Artillery fired on them but they came on beautifully in perfect order until just as their heads showed over the grain on top of the hill – we poured in a volley receiving a severe fire in return – outnumbered by a double line we fought hard gave them fire for fire but found them coming up on our left. The[y] were not more than 30 yds off firing on us briskly Trans was twice hit and our men fell fast we moved back broken to an open wood surrounding a hospital and here made a stand. When Trans was hit the second time I thought he was done for he was struck in the fore shoulder by a minie and [I] dismounted as he could hardly go on and I feared his falling with me. We fought in the wood and here I saw the Colonel on horseback, Soon I saw a black horse which I recognized to be his galloping towards me riderless– I caught him by the bridle succeeded in stopping him and sent him by one of the men to find the Colonel – he could not and brought him back to me. I mounted and directed the men as well as I could, they lay down behind a fence and returned the rebel fire with great sharpness, bullets were striking everywhere and men falling – back of us was a large brick house used as a hospital a theological seminary I believe I rode round this up to the front of the line and here saw the Colonel he had received a scalp wound in the back of the head but was still on his feet and went to the hospital for a few moments– I rode out with the Colonel of the NYk 20th to the left and saw the line of rebels advancing to outflank us and reported it to General Rowley – he told me to take command and bring the broken troops there– I tried to do so as well as I could but the rebels on our left got in and the men retreated behind the hospital down to the road here the Colonel sent me word he would like to have his horse– I waited till he crossed the high steps of the hospital entrance and assisted him to mount just as the retreating Artillery began to rush down the road at a gallop into the town– I saw Rowley, Doubleday and staff going off as hard as they could drive from the Corner of the hospital enclosure under fire– Rowley had behaved very well and did so all through – he could do nothing else. I walked along the road with the fugitives into Gettysburg – a man receiving a wound almost every moment and the noise of Artillery shots in the houses and the smack of a ball against wood work occurring every moment– I stopped to get some water at a well which one of my men got in a tin cup, when an officer seized on it and he told him it was for the major – the officer said I want it for a wounded man, I told him to take it which he did to a house close by – and got other water before he returned. I continued on the street with the men – turning a corner I saw the rebels in full sight and was the last man left at that point excepting a soldier who said I will have another shot and turned and fired his musket with perfect calmness. I walked down the street along with the fugitives and finally came to a regiment of the 11th Corps– I asked if they had been in action and found they had just come up and fugitive troops were forming behind them beyond the Bellevue Cemetery on top and on the other side of the hill– here I found General Wadsworth, said a few words to him and here I met an orderly of General Buford’s with Transportation, whom I claimed– He had gotten off of the field and made for the Cavalry by whom he was picked up about two hundred yards beyond the hospital grounds – he had been robbed of his blankets by the Cavalry and turned over to an orderly of General Buford’s who had lost his horse. I mounted him soon saw our division flag and afterwards the Colonel on his horse. I gathered my men together and got them along with the rest of the Brigade. We went into battle with 6 officers besides myself and 256 men we have at night by my report 1 officer (Dorr) present and 65 men Our loss as we now believe is as follows 8 killed– 4 officers & 59 men wounded—1 officer and 124 men missing– many of these are undoubtedly killed or wounded – Lieut Powel sick from the Ambulance Corps joined us in the night. Capt Sterling Capt Ashworth are both wounded, also Lieutenants Ruth and Funk, many of our best men killed. Lambdin & Etting, both staff officers, are safe, also the Colonel – Hall and myself. I have a minie ball through my Coat. Transportation has three wounds and one in the shoulder – we alone that is the first Corps I believe with one Division of the 11th fought both Ewell and Hill – each it is said with About 16000 men and we about 8000 strong held them the whole day. I have reason to thank God for my merciful preservation and I trust the obstinacy of the fight will be emulated by the other Corps. If it is there is no doubt of success. As we marched up the hill in the Evening a beautiful rainbow spanned the Eastern sky. I hailed it as a sign of promise for I believe if ever men fought under a sense of duty all do so now. May God guide us and be merciful to us.

Your loving husband

Alexander

Citation: Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), autograph letter signed to Julia Williams Rush Biddle, 1 July 1863. Rush IV:30:33