Harrisons Landing

July 18^th                      /62

 

H B Lyons

 

                        Dear Sir I received your letter of the 11^th inst yesterday but being on duty I could not answer it till this morning and knowing how ansious you are about your Son I will hasten to inform you all I know about him I seen him on Friday June 27^th about 12 O'clock So I am shure that he came through the Battle of Mechanicsvill safe but when I seen him on friday thare had been a lull in the fighting for a time and as adds regt was laying close to us he came over to see me and his looks told plainly how hard he had been fighting his face was all powder and dust he asked me how I liked it and he / said he would try and do his duty and if he fell it would be in a good cause and for his country and he requested me in case he fell to write to you and just at that time the firing commenced again and Ad bid me good by and started of for Company in double quick soon after that our Regt was ordered off to another part of the field and became hottly engaged and that was the last I ever seen of poor Ad for after the fight was over I lernt to my sorrow that the 11^th regt had been very near all taken prisoners but thay was not taken untill thay were intirely surrended and even then thay done all it was posible for any regt to do and came very near cuting thare way out but if it had not been for the Regulars giving / way thay never would have been taken as that give the enemy a chance to out flank the 11^th and part of the artilery the Reserves never will forgive the regulars for that trick for the 11^th was well liked in the reserves the few that was spared from that day fell in the two battles afterwards thare is 4 or 5 of Company D left but thay could not tell me any thing about ad only that he was allright a few minutes before the regt was taken I was talking to one of the 11^th who escaped from the rebels and he told me that thare was very few killed although thay was in a very hot place and he also told me that the rebels treated them very well so I think you may feel pretty shure that Ad is only a prisoner and will soon be paroled if I hear any thing / further conserning ad you may rest asured I will send you word as soon as posible and I hope we may hear from him soon again for in him you lose a good Son and I a true Friend I would have writen to you before this but I had neither pen paper or ink as the rebels captured all of our knapsacks I am glad to hear that the people about thare takes some interest for the soldiers out here the wounded gets looked after a little but the sick has a poor chance we have little to eat and a great deal to do it raines every evening and we have no tents not even a gun blanket I have been wet for the last 3 nights all the boys in the 62d and in the 9^th is well and send you thare respects please excuse this bad writing as I have but a poor chance to write so hoping that we may soon hear from ad and that this may find you well

 

I will close                 

Charles Cook

 

H B Lyon

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