Fisherville Va

June 28^th 1864

 

            My dear friend

                                    I rec^d your kind letter of the 4^th May, after I came here, & wrote you a short note in reply but it seems from your letter to Luce that you have not rec^d it.

            I was wounded on the 10^th of May at Spotsylvania C.H. was sent to Richmond, from Richmond to Huguenot Springs, & from Huguenot to Staunton where they gave me a leave of absence for two weeks. I was to report to Staunton on the 13^th Inst, but the Docts had all left & I am again free, at least for a while.

 

            I am almost well again & would return with John to the Regt, but Lt Wilson from my Company is here woun- / ded & wants me to go to Randolph with him. We will start to Brownsburg to-morrow where we will spend a week or ten days, & will start from there to Randolph, by way of Pocahontas. If you have any word to send, or letters, if you will send them to me at Brownsburg I will gladly carry them for you.

 

            Our whole Corps is camped near Staunton. Hunter has escaped & Jno thinks they are going into Pennsylvania again. The Yankees did not take any thing from Bec, but some meat. They were afraid to straggle as our men picked up all who straggled. A great many negroes left with them, but I consider them a small loss if all had gone.

 

            I saw Charlie Newlow last Friday evening. He had left his command near Lynchburg & had been to Brownsburg he said here that he had been sent up in that direction / as a kind of secret scout I supposed it was secret sure enough & don't believe his Cap^t even knew where he was. You must not tell him what I have told you however. He has your ring yet. I wanted him to let me have it & promised to go by & return it to you, but he would not listen to such a thing. If my Reg^t is at Richmond when I return I will stop at your house perhaps.

 

            We have suffered terribly in the late fighting in the Wilderness, Spottsylvania C.H. & Richmond. We started with 350 men last spring & now have 80. My Company had 51 in it & now has 6 or 8. 4 have been taken prisoners (among them Emmet Crawford) & the rest are killed & wounded Lt Dudly Long I am sorry to say Joe Stipe & Edd Kettle are among the killed Col Hoffman is not hurt but is at some / hospital sick. He is the only Col in the Brigade. Gen Pegram was wounded in the Wilderness, & Lieut Col Lilly of the 25^th is [?] Brigadier Gen. He was promoted over Hoffman

 

            I have not yet had a chance to have my picture taken for you, but will first opportunity.

 

            Luce is going to write you & will give you the news. I have already written a longer letter than you generally write & suppose it has already wearied you. Please write me a long letter & direct to Brownsburg or I expect it will be better to direct to Fisherville as Billy Wilson is worse & we will not start perhaps for a few days. He has come in since I commenced writing & his ear is a great deal worse.

 

Please don't let any one see this I am ashamed of it. As ever your sincere friend

Newt

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