At some point after reaching Falmouth, Pvt. Charles Nelson was detailed as Company Cook for Company E. To be detailed as such, the Captain of his company must have thought they were going into Winter Quarters. An easy assumption since all the men in the union army were building winter huts and drawing tents from the quartermasters. I can only assume that Pvt. Nelson parlayed his skill as a baker into a duty free of company drill and guard duty. I wonder if those cold night spent on guard duty last year at Fort Corcoran were in the back of his mind with thoughts of a warm kitchen suiting him better. I also wonder if Charles was a popular man being company cook. Do you suppose he had a sense of humor or thick skin? I think you would need both to be a cook for these combat hardened veterans. At this time the companies of the Thirteenth were wholly under strength necessitating at least two companies to consolidate their strength to form one company which even combined could not muster 50 men for duty.

The Battle of Fredericksburg started on December 12 and ended on the 15^th. The First Brigade on December 13, charged Marye's Heights sometime after 4:30 p.m. getting within a few yards of the stone wall before being repulsed like all other brigades before it. Nelson's regiment had 5 officers and 6 men Killed, 5 officers and 77 men wounded and 7 men missing or captured. The First Division's commanding officer Brig. General Charles Griffin U. S. Army, states in his Official Report, "Among the latter, dangerously (wounded), Col. E. G. Marshall Thirteenth New York Volunteers, a gallant and brave soldier whose conduct deserves special commendation." The First Brigade had causalities of: 30- Killed, 381- Wounded and 89- Missing or captured for a total loss of 500 officers and men. The men went back to their winter quarters at Falmouth to rest and refit their equipment. December 29 and 30th the regiment went on an expedition to Richard's and Ellis's Fords and returned to their winter quarters. The next bit of excitement was when the brigade participated in the celebrated "Mud March" of January 20-24, 1863. Returning to camp, the regiment stayed at Falmouth until April 26 when they were ordered home for mustering out.

Robert Pierce ends his narrative with this...."The next morning early we received the order to strike tents and get ready to go home. Then it was only a short time till there was not a tent standing in camp. Nothing of consequence happened on our route to Washington. When we got there Colonel Marshall was able to leave the hospital and he came down to the depot and made us a speech."

"He thanked the officers for helping him bring the regiment up to a state of discipline surpassed by none in the army. He said that he had led the regiment through thirteen battles and never knew them to retreat once without orders. We were detained in Washington one day and night for lack of transportation. We finally loaded a train of boxcars and in due time arrived in Elmira, New York. We stayed in Elmira over night and the next day got a passenger train and went to Rochester in quick time. I think that the thirteenth was the first regiment to come back to Rochester. There was such a crowd around the train that it was sometime before we could get off the cars, and get into line. Then we went into a large hall, where there was a banquet prepared for us. The streets were full of people. It seemed as though the whole city had turned out to welcome us home. After the banquet and a number of speeches were made, we were dismissed. The next day we got our discharge and went away to our homes."

Let the stars tell the tale of the glorious past

And bind us in Union forever to last.

Pvt. Charles Nelson was discharged on Wednesday May 13, 1863 along with the rest of the survivors of the Thirteenth New York Infantry owing the U.S. Government $12.86 for clothing. He served under 3 different Colonels: Issac F. Quinby, John Pickell and Elisha G. Marshall. He and his regiment participated in five major battles with numerous smaller battles, skirmishes and actions and although Charles did not suffer any physical wounds his regiment had a causality rate of 45% which includes those that died from disease and other causes.