May 17^th 1863

                        Camp Hancock Near

                        Fredricksburgh Va

                        My dear wife I take my pen this Sunday morning to inform you that I am engoying very good health at this time and do hope my dear that you and all the rest of the friends are all engoying the same blessing dear Mussy we have all been in a dreadfull hard fout battel latly it commenced at Chanslorsville about 16 miles from the Camp it comenced on the first day of this month which was friday it lasted for four days I went into the fite on the first day and was in it during four days and nites The balls and shels whising past us momentarly on Sunday the fite was fierce and bludy it is said here by the old soldiers that this was/the hardest faut battel that has been faut since the war commenced after fiting the greater part of five days we had to retreat and leave the battle field to the rebels the loss on both sides was very severe our loss in kild wounded and prisiners is now said to be twenty five thousand men the rebel loss is said to be greater the most disgrasefull part of this fite is we had to retreat and leave our ded on the ground to the mercy of the rebels a part of this battle ground was in the woods before we retreated the rebels set fire to the woods and burn up a great many of our ded and wounded we lost in our reagement ove two hundred men some of the companies lost very heavy Company D. of our/reagement went into this battel with eighty men and came out with but six men the rest was all wounded and kild this is all I shal say about this battel at this time Company I. the Company which I belong to had but one man kild his name was Craft from near Brookville we had also three men wounded in Company I. The rest all came out unhurt but very much fetigued we are all now in our old Camp Hancock near Fredricksburgh, Va. we have all got pretty well rested again dear Mussy I received a letter from you on yesterday dated 10 May it is the only letter I received from you since the 26 Aprile I was glad to hear that you was well while on the battle field I received/two letters from you one was dated 24^th April the other dated the 26^th April Thy contained the postage stamps which I had requested you to send to me dear Mussy on the 27 day of Aprile the day before we marched to go to the battle ground I wrote a letter to you and enclosed in it ten dollars to you and and on May the 2^nd and 4^th days of Aprile I wrote you two letters and enclosed twenty dollars in each letter and sent them to you and on the day after we returned to this camp I wrote a letter to you and enclosed fifteen dollars in it making in all sixty five dollars this mony you aught to have received before you wrote to me I am uneasy about if for fear you may/not get it I am told that before and during the battel that all letters was stopt at Washington and no letters permited to go through by a military ordr I hope you may yet receive them write to me and let me know if you have received any of them

My dear Mussy I do hold an Artickel of agreement betwene Joseph Clements and Frank Hull it is in one of my red pocket books in my drawer at home I was told not to deliver up that artickel to either of them unless both parties was present and now I wish you not to give this agreement up unless both partis is agreed you can sea Joseph Clements and talk to him about it if thy should have a low sute thy can/summons you as a witness and compell you to produce the artickle if you have it in your possesion This is the only way that I know that thy can compell you to give it up if you think this artickel is not safe in your hands place it in your fathers for safe keeping. The wether is now very warm here the sun is almost to hot to be out in it thy have been sevrial men sun struck within a few days back though the nites is rather Coole Cournal Mcknite was shot ded through the hed on Sunday of the battle This news I expect you have heard before this time I have been looking for a letter from Mary for a long time back you may now tell hir that/I am very much obliged to hir kindnes in writing to me no letters this I did not expect of hir my love and respects present to hir for me dear Mussy this army is getting very much weakened at this time thy are a great many two year and nine months men whose time has now expired and thy are all leaving for home Capt Esbys Company time is out and thy all started home a few days ago dear Mussy I close this letter by send my love and respects to you I also send you 25 sweet kisses please except of them my dear Sarah please give my love to grand pap Peggy and Elisa also to Mary Snider and all the rest of the friends write to me scoone This from your affectinate husband

WRodgers to Sarah Rodgers

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