Camp in the woods 10 miles

from Bottoms Bridge and 18 from

White House Va. June 5^th 1864

                       

Dear Parents

                                                Once more I will try to pen a few lines to you to inform you that we are all enjoying good health and I hope this will find you all the same. We have at last had a couple days of rest which came very acceptable to us just now. Daniel stands the marches first rate so far and we have traveled far enough to try the pluck of most men For thirty days it has been one continual tramp and the whole Army is becoming fatigued and worn out besides the rations of the Army are not of the best nor any to plenty just now /

 

The rations consist of coffee "Hard Tack" and" Fresh Beef" and I am getting very tired of the beef so it is often thrown away. The rations of hard tack has been reduced from 12 to 9 and ten per day according to the supply on hand Still I have not went hungry yet When I was at the Mattaponi river I was lucky enough to get a good ham of an old darky. It only cost me a dollar He said they had sold it to the Rebs for 6 dollars per pound in their money he did not know the value of our Greenbacks

 

In passing through the country you find the farmers well supplied with eatables that is if you should chance to be in the advance but as they pass through each soldier takes whatever he wants and a house is soon gutted from garrett to cellar of all food and hogs sheep and chickens ducks geese calves yearlings and everything fit to eat is taken without regard for owners. Very often the planters bury their pork and ham and bacon and such things to hide them from the soldiers, but all the boys have to do is to point their guns at their darkeys and they soon tell where things are concealed. Most of the able bodied niggers have been removed farther south for to make them more secure for their masters but most all that are left behind have taken the advantage of our coming and have followed us up leaving their masters and are seeking their freedom I presume a good many of them will be shipped from White House Landing to Washington where they are cared for and employed by the government. Most of them are quite ignorant. They generally are dressed very poor and when they leave the whole family goes and it is laughable to see them Each old wench has from ten to fifty young ones to care for of her own. While we were at the Mattaponi river there was a regiment of colored troops lay along side of us They did Provost duty at our bridge and they picked up a great many stragglers that were with the trains and had no business there and I must say for them that they did their duty up prompt and as well as any of Uncle Sams boys could do it and most of them are smart intelligent fellows and were free before they entered the service They are from Ohio and belong to Burnsides Corps  } PS continued on Daniels letter and they say that when they go into battle they take no prisoners meaning by this they kill every single one they have a chance to At the battle at the Wilderness they charged upon a battery and took it after our men had charged upon it three times and failed each time. When the order was given them to charge one of their Orderlies sung shouted out in a clear distinct tone Boys Remember Fort Pillow. you can imagine the effect better than I could describe it. Revenge is strong with them Burnside also has four Companies of Indians who are equally as good as the blacks and even now while I sit in my tent the cannons roar is distinctly heard in the distance. Our Army is still this side of the Chickahominy river and our progress will be very slow for a spell as that river is a hard one to cross I have not heard from the front since yesterday and then I heard that our lines were hard pressed and we were acting on the defensive awaiting the arrival of fresh troops who were near at hand and it may be that our men have crossed to day for the cannonading seems farther off than it was yesterday Gen Grant is fighting them by the month and he has now fought them thirty three days steady every day and he says he will fight as long as he has a man left and when that one is killed he will gallop away fast as possible He is acquiring a name which will be as lasting as Washington's /

 

We received those fish lines and hooks you sent to us but have had no opportunity to use them yet Yesterday we were blessed with news from home again Daniel and I each received a letter and the Capt got two or three. I sent my old silk pocket handkerchief to you by mail the other day she has seen considerable travel as it will show for itself I washed it in the Mattaponi river at Dunkirk but it did'nt look first rate. You spoke about my loosing my tentmates. We separated because we would have all of us more room in this hot weather Daniel and I tent together all alone Voorhis and James tents with Hice and Harrison Johnson tents with Elmer. Two in a tent is a plenty this time a year We have each two two pieces of shelter tent so we live very comfortably but we haint used our tents much for the past month for we often sleep under the open canopy in fair weather My sheet is filled so Good bye From Charley /

 

June the 5 1864

Dear Parents

                        I thought that you would like to hear from me that once more I am as well as usual and hope these few lines will find you the same we are on the Pinsulia  the boys say that we are on the same ground that little Mc went over the our leader Gen Grant is a giving the rebbls hail Columbia we see lots of prisoners Charley has ben writeing and I suppose he has rote all the news so no more at pres ant

                        D V P

SOURCES