To: Commander FFA, Jacksonville, Fl. May 7th, 1864.

Recalling our orders to take and hold Spring Garden at officers call on May 1st, we at once called our unit to assemble.  We left for a three day march from Jacksonville and arrived at a location just N.E. of Spring Garden.  We set up temporary streets for we knew we were going to engage the "johnnies" the next day.  I noticed that the area scouted was heavily treed.  With this in mind, I knew our unit's gun would play a large roll in the battle.  We set our gun in place early and quietly for the johnnies were close by.  As the sun came up, there was a space in the tree line which helped the infantry sneak in close.  The order came down to battalion fire and all hell broke loose, we not only caught Johnnie with his pants down but were able to push them till they fell back across the clearing about one mile.  The engagement was short but successful to us.  Needless to say that we dug in deep for we knew that the next day Johnny would be back madder than hell.  As the new morning came, we found ourselves making a quick breakfast so we could set up our defenses.  We built breastworks and redoubts and prepared to wait.  While waiting, some men began to play cards, some wrote letters and some laid back and took a snooze.  Everything seemed calm and it looked like we were going to have a well deserved rest when all of a sudden we heard this ear piercing yell and we knew our day had come.  They came at us hell bent for glory and we managed to hold them off.  They fell back and regrouped and hit us again and again.  They showed no mercy for they knew we would not be able to hold out much longer without reserves.  They were right for we were ordered to fall back to a second line and take a stand but to no avail, they just kept coming.  They advanced on us very quickly and I had to order my gun crew to draw pistols and defend the gun.  My crew did an outstanding job, but after loosing four members and one officer, we had to give up and were captured.  The rest of the battery and infantry were routed and ran.  I regret that I lost my crew and gun; but the odds sir, were too great.  I write this letter enroute to the enemy's camp hoping to sneak it out, with any luck I will.
With glory gone and hope still there, I say goodbye.

Capt. Dave Iannone 3rd Rohde Island Artillery Battery "C"