Campbell Hospital April May 8^th 1863

 

Dear Parents

                        Your very welcome letter of the 5^th has just been recd my health is pretty good at present but I have considerable to do our ward is filled with the wounded in the late battles a good may are wounded in the arm and leg there are some pretty tough cases but take them them as they average they are not as bad as they might be the 20^th are cut up quite bad Col Keys is wounded Lieut Col Wooster Capt Pardee Co F Capt Dickerman Co I are wounded Capt Woodruff Co E Lieut Cadwell Co D are killed and a good many others are killed and wounded Sergt Gaston the one that mrs allisson went to see and Robert McKinley both in Co D are in one of the hospitals in this city I shall try to see them / sunday there is two soldiers in Ward seven that belong to the 1^st Long Island they know Loomis he was safe Sunday and I presume he came out all right the sixth had pretty hard fighting they were on the left and were not held as you think in the reserve Joe Hooker has retreated across the river and will have to meet the enemy on their old ground again the city is full of rumors wounded soldiers pour in by hundreds and some thousands are in the hospitals at Aquia Creek there are a good many prisoners in the city I recd a letter from Frank he was well it will be impossible to get a discharge I can get a furlough in the fall but not before if I want it but I dont want one / for I feel more at home without one than with one I am glad to see that Father has friends in Newark I hope he wont of it though but will take Sage by surprise then he will back down Father had better let his farm out on shares and not do much himself you are quite unlucky with your eyes I should think the whole of Cromwell was sick or dead there are quite a number of cases of spotted fever in town how fatal they are I dont know but if a man lives 48 hours he gets well so the papers say please write soon and see if you can find out how many are wounded from Cromwell I trust there are none Remember me to all (in much haste)

                                               

Your Affectionate Son

Geo S Palmer

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