From: Charles B. Hayden
To: Unknown
Date: xxx
Subject: Outrage over a church burned down.

Subject: The 2nd Michigan Volunteers, under the command of Brigadier General Samuel P. Heintzelman, conducted the first raid on November 12, 1861. One of those present, Lieutenant Charles B. Haydon, expressed his outrage over the devastation wrought upon the Church:

"At 8 � A.M. we reached the church 12 miles out. Pohick Church is a brick building built in 1773. Gen. Washington contributed to building it & was a frequent attendant. It has a very ancient look & one would suppose that it might be sacred enough to be secure. I have long known that the Mich 2nd had no fear or reverence as a general thing for God or the places where he is worshiped but I had hoped that the memory of Gen. Washington might protect almost anything with which it was associated. I believe our soldiers would have torn the church down in 2 days. They were all over it in less than 10 minutes tearing off the ornaments, splitting the woodwork and pews, knocking the brick to pieces & everything else they could get at. They wanted pieces to carry away . . . A more absolute set of vandals than our men can not be found on the face of the earth. As true as I am living I believe they would steal Washington's coffin if they could get to it."

The reference to (Lt.)Col. Chas B. Haydon is from SEARS, page347 (who ever or whatever that may be) as printed in "We Were Marching Christmas Day" by Kevin Rawlings, Toomey Press:

"A third regiment transferred west as part of Burnside's Ninth Corps was the 2nd Mich. (Lt.) Col. CBH was making a journey to join the 2 Mich in Christmas Eve, after recovering from a wound received during the siege of Knoxville."

Christmas 1864
(Lt.) Col. Chas B. Haydon
Unknown Location

"The night was very cold but the day was beautiful. I sent out a foraging party which seized 30 bushels of corn & half ton of hay. We had an inspection. I corrected the rolls and examined the state of the rations. 'Tis the Night before Christmas'-not exactly the Christmas of civilization yet I have seen many worse days & nights than this. This delay has been very irksome to me.

I begrudge every minute till I am with the regt. Inasmuch as I shall have not time to morrow I drank tonight the hast bottle of wine I brought from home & wished Merry Christmas to everyone who deserves it."

Haydon died the following March from a severe cold in a Cincinnati military hospital.

This letter was sent to me from Sandi Ward 111 PVI. Thank You

Note #1The ones with (1) beside their ranks indicates that they were the First Captain, 1st Lieutenant and 2nd Lieutenant of the Company.

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