Camp near Sharpsburgh, M^d

Sunday           

October 19^th    /62

 

H.B. Lyons         

                                                        

                        Dear Sir I recieved your most wellcome letter in due time and I will try and give you all the information you asked for that is as far as I know but in the first place I must tell you that I consider that a sermon of yours as you are pleased to call it a little bit of good advice for wich I am very thankfull is what I call it I am well aware that you mean well my Dear friend it is a subject that I ought to pay more attention to I feel and know that I am not as good as I might be yet try as hard as I may I cannot feel as serious as I ought to the Army is a bad place for temptations and many a young man has it ruined a private soldier is no more thought of than a dog out side of his Company or regt and if a private chances to open his mouth while one of thies pretty / Officers is around nine cases out of ten if he aint court martialed and either sent to the rip raps or drumed out of camp and in stead of it ever having a good effect it only makes the men ten times worse than ever but it is not of that I want to speak this morning it is of a subject that consernes us boath for more than that it is of Aderson I was like you I have long thought of writing to you about him as I probaly knew more about him than any one else in the Army but I did not like to say any thing about it for fear of wounding your feelings by bringing so painfull a subject to your memory for it must be painfull to you to lose so noble a son as Ad but he fell fighting bravely I suppose you are aware that him and me became firm friends after we came out in the Army thare was no secrets betwen us if I needed any help or advice I knew where to go I think it was the same with him also / but you wished me to let you know all about his last fight so I will tell you all I can I suppose you know that we had two engagedments at Bull Run Friday and Saturday on Friday our Brigade was sent to storm a rebel battery the 11^th Regt was next to the 9^th So I had an opportunity of seeing ad he was standing only a few feet from me and all this time the Rebels was pouring the grape and canister shot into us like hail I asked ad if he did not think it was terible work he said it was and that thay had allready killed some of his Company but he was going to do his duty at that moment we got an order to advance and I yeled out to him to go in. our regt started on the charge and I do not remember of seeing him afterwards of Saturdays fight all I know about him is just what his comrades told me when we got the order to go into the fight on Saturday he was pretty well wore out but his words were this I Will Go Till I / Drop (and he did he fell as his comrades told me erly in the fight Some says killed instantly while others say he was wounded and if we had gained the day might have got off as one says he asked him to take him off I thought of him but our Regt was deployed on the extreem left of the whole line and when we had to retreat we had to run as we were compleatly out flanked and allmost surended as soon as we got to Centerville I went right off after Ad when judge of my surprise and sorrow when I learned that he had fallen I would have went back but it was to late the Battle field was in the hands of the enemy so I could do nothing but set down in the mud and I allmost wished I had fallen along with him I knew we were sold betrayed by a traitor for never did soldiers go in with more determination than did the Penna Reserves on that fatal day at Bull Run But I must bring my letter to a close by hoping this may find you and all your family well and in good spirits and allso that I may hear from you soon again

                                                                                                           

Charley Cook

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