Fair Oaks station
Drawing circa 1880

Hodgson describes the Battle of Fair Oaks in a letter to his wife dated June 3, 1862, "we stood the shelling of the enemy for some time, finally one burst about ten feet in front of the left of the company and wounded the oldest and youngest men we had in the Co. It took off the leg of the front rank man & tore the inside of the thyhs of the rear rank man, very badly, it then passed close by me as I stood almost directly behind them."

In the same letter Hodgson recalls searching for the body of his cousin and fellow soldier, George Rysdyk: "I hunted for [George] all through several camps. I found Lieut. Sullivan who was wounded in the leg & arm but George I could not. I at last, found him out near the house laying upon his face, legs crossed & hands laying out as I have often seen him sleep."

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