Friday June 12^th 1863

Camp Hancock Near

Fredricksburgh Virginia

Dear Son & daughter

            I have been anciously looking for a letter from you for a long time past as Mary had promised to write to me shortly after you would move down near Troy but I have never yet received any letters from you Sarah wrote to me that you had wrote two letters to me if you did those letters never came to hand yet I would have written to you long before this time but I was writing to Sarah very often and I new that you often heard from me through hir and my way of writing here is not very convenient as I have to do my writing here setting on the ground and writing of my nea and some times not having pen nor ink to write with/I am well at present and have engoyed pretty good health ever since I left home and I do hope that you and the Childrin as well as all the rest of the friends are all well and engoying good health and I would like very much to sea you all again when this may be I cannot tell god only knows about the first of May I was in the battle at Chancellorsville a few miles west of Fredricksburg and south of the Rappanack river this was a very hard faut battle it lasted four days thy ware a great many men kild on both sides the battle resulted in our defeat and we retreated back to our old Camp north of the Rappahanock whare we have been ever since in this battle thy ware two hundred men kild out of our reigement our Cournal was severely wounded/he was sent home and has not yet returned to this reigement Company. D. of this reigement went into this battle with nearly a full company and came out with but seven men all their company officers was kiled except of one Sergant other Companies suffered severely as well as officers Co. I. the company which I belong to had better luck although we stood facing a very hot fire all the time bullets and shell past very close and we made a great many hair brenths excapes thy was but one man and 1 kild in our Company and three wounded dear Son and daughter thy have been a rumer hear that we are nine months men and may be scoon discharged how this is we do not yet know when we was sworn in at Harrisburgh we was/sworn in for three years or during the warr unless scooner discharged but it is said here that this reigement was registerd as nine months men the truth of this we do not know certainly but time will now scoon tell we would all like to get home we think that we are on the eave of another great battle we have been under marching orders for some time back and every thing hear indicates a forward movement of some kind on last friday a part of our army crosed the rappahanoc just below Fredricksburgh this was about five oclock in the evening thy had a hevy fite which lasted for about one hour the rebel pickets was drove back from the river to the sumit of the hills above Fredrick a part of our army occupies yet the ground thy won on the south/south side of the river thy have been more or liss fiting done every day since with some kild on both sides our men has taken about two hundred rebel prisners since last friday on yesterday thy ware 24 rebel prisners taken they was marched past our camp on yesterday on their way to washington for the we are encamped about two miles from Fredricksburgh we have not been engaged in any of these small fites yet but every thing now goes to show that if the rebels will fite that thy will be a biger battle come of shortly then has been here yet for the two last days the rodes has been continualy fild nite and day with artilry infantry and Calvey all centerating on the left and write of Fredricksburgh and we have orders to/march at a moments warning with three days of rashions in advance so we believe that thy will be a hevy battle faut here within a few days we do not know yet whether we will be in this battle if it should come of or not some of our officers think that this reigement will be detailed to guard the rail rode here near to Fredrick during the battle the wether is very warm and the rodes very dusty here now we have not had any rain here now for about six weeks the ground is very hard and dry and the wethr much warmer here than I ever knowd it to be in Jefferson we are almost rosted here with heat give my love to all my friends and now my dear son & daughter I send my love to you both also to your childrin I would like to sea you all again tell Sarah that you got a letter from/me and tell hir that I send my love to hir please write to me as scoon as you receive this letter and let me know how you all are and how you are all getting along time now compels me to close this letter I bid you all an affectinate good by for the present

I remain dear Mary your loving Father

WRodgers to Oliver and

Mary.C. Thompson

SOURCES