Nom 10           

I think this is wright                        

Washington La Ap 25^th/63

 

            Dear lib it has ben most three weeks sinc I have writen to you when we crosed the bay at Brashear city I wrote to you the 10 of this month and it has seamed like a long time I am a hondard and 50 mild from there know we drove the rebels like fun I recieved a letter from you the other day the first one you nombered it was nomber 1 it was a long and good letter our letters come right a long after us I recieved one from Wheeler and one from mary mary wrote me a good letter the 11 we went up to patersonvill we had ertillry fighting all the way the 12 we went on our pickets had hard fighting all day jest night we come up whare we had the fight with the gun boat cotton we knew the rebels had a hevy brest works runing from the bio clear in to the woods we got up to clost the rebels opend there ertillry on us and our ertillry opend on them and we laid down on the ground and the shells bosted over our heads jest like hale I see men get kild and hosses we laid onder a affle hevy fire for a hour the order come to fall back a little wayes / we fell back out of range of thear batries and camped for the night the rebels had the gun boat they took from us the diana that was a great help to them we had some long toms 32 pounders coming up we knew we could knock the fits out of thear gun boat in the morning it takes 8 muels to draw them the next morning the rebels opend fire on us agane from the gun boat we had fore 32 pounders 2 on the right and to on the left our redgment reported the too on the left we did not fire more than six shots before we shot a hole right threw thear gun boat and kild a good many on the boat she went off up the bio then we all got in line of battle and marched up we had not got a great wayes before they opend fire on us agane from thear brest works and then the cannon did throw shot and shell I tell you dear it was hot times we expected to take them all prisners Generel Grover went around behind them with the gun boats and a big force the rebels had three or fore gun boats you will see a better scetch of this / in the paper we advanced up in the afternoon they did not open fire on us till we got so clost to thear brest works that that thear rifle bollits kild some of our men and they opend fire on us we marched quite a peace and thear cannon balls whiseld over our heads they shot to hy our artillry got in shape and then we give it to them bot we could not hert them motch because they was behind brest works bot we kild a good meny we fired shells and they would bost right behind thear works they did not hert us near so bad as they would if they had shot shells bot I dont sepoes they had them dear lib when I come home I can tell you better abought it I haint had no chance to shot of my gun yet our skirmeshr had hard fighting all day long merten he was one of the pickets he sed he had his hands fool we doo our fighting hear mostly with artillry and that is the hardist kind of fighting I dont fear rifle bollits bot cannon bollits makes evry thing jar we lay onder fire till after dark we laid on the ground right / in front of our batries all day it mad mee quite deaf old onkle berdie got kild he belongs to co I and a man in co E got kild and quite a nomber wounded I had dirt throud all over mee the rebels cannon ball would fall short of us and the way they would throw the dirt they would come so clost to me it seams as if I could reach them one cannon ball come bobing is right threw the ranks and the boys give away and it did not hert eny one it come very ny hiting the colnel that night they avactuated evry thing they had a long brest works and a ditch of watter so eny body could not wade it right in front of the brest works and they had a strong fort right back abought a half of a mild by thear camps they left thear camps tents and evrything left all of thear clothing and evry thing you can think of they fought Grover purty hard he had a good meny men kild bot they got to franklin before he got there and they took a back road for opelousas where the govner of the state lives the rebel /

5

 

we took some three thousand prisners

 

Govner the rebels made a good meny stands bot we would get in line and drive them out we have took a good many citties we took franklin...Newiberia or newtown...saint Martinsville..Opelousas and this place Washington we got in to Oplousas the 20 of Ap I had a bad direa I could not eat enything drinking so motch pore watter it give me a affle disentery we marched so fast it run mee clear down bot I keep up I got a niger to cary my blankets our redgment was ordered back Newtown to guard up a seply trane a distence of 75 mild and the hol army is laying still for seplies and the docter sent me to this hospital till the redgment comes back and then I will join it I am a goodeal better my direa has stoped and I am redy for another fight I dont know whare we shal go from hear I dont think we will eny more fighting right away some of the sick is going down to Breshear city on a / boat and I will send this letter by them I think it will youse a good meny of the boys going back to newtown we have had a hard march our brigade has ben in the advance all the time that is a goodeal harder Oscar Voorhees and george rowly fel out before had eny fighting and we did not see eny more of them till we got opelousas lieut Jones and ed gowdy fel out the day we had the hardist fight. dear lib I never flinched I was bound to stand up if it cost me my life del luis stood up like a man he has ben tuff and so is abe leroy is hear with mee he is going to breshear he has got a bad direa there is 35 out of our redgment hear dear lib you sed in your letter you had got my boy it makes me laugh to read it and the spoon you think I have improved writeing I dont think this looks motch like it I think you have improved you have got so you can write a good long letter when you first begun to write you did not write very long letters bot you write good long / letters know bot I would not care if they was as long agane I could set and write all day bot I am tired out it is too oclock and we haint had no diner yet we dont get motch to eat little peace of corn bread and a little peace of beaf bot I cant eat motch so it dont make motch diference leroys wife rote that aurilias hosbond was dead I knew he could not stand it he had not ought to of went dear lib you wrote real good to mee there is you spoke abought some being takeing prisner I am a going to be tru to my contry and I think I shall live the longer fo it you spoke abought breaking up keeping house I think you had better for I dont believe one word in bill peaples geting ous out the servis god know I would hold up boath hands bot I dont believe he can do it and I think you had better brake up if you haint all redy it will take him quite a while to do it I should think you mite tell up there haint bill peapels up there to wellsville you see him and talk with him / and find out. Dear Lib I have ben to diner I guess they dont mean to give us eny soper it is three oclock we had some soop and beaf and hard tact dear lib when I get home I shal know how to injoy my living better than I ever did dear lib I feal good to day our redgment wont be hear in fore dayes yet they fired 35 cannon down to opelousas last night I did not know bot we had gained some big victry they say Lausay and Texas has come back in to the ounion and caled home thear troops if this is soo it wont take a very long time to make the rest satisfied I think I will see you in less than 8 months you know I sed I should be to home in september I think I will yet we have got lots of cotton up hear and the folks have burnt lots when they herd we was coming they did not believe we could get hear when I come home dear I can tell you better abought it keep a stif oper lip I will see you in a little while to day is sunday at guard wheal wrote me a good letter and I will rite to him as I get time from your loving Hosbond LC

 

to his dear wife lib kiss nety for me keep lots your self

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