Pittsburg Landing Tennessee Apr 25^th/62

 

Dear Mother

                I now take the opportunity of writing a fiew lines to you to inform you that I am well it is raining a little to day yesterday we had another little fight and our men run the butnuts like the devil they went out to a place called Pea Ridge and the enemy had made a stand thare and our men thought they would rout them so the Cavalry and Artillery took the lead and when the enemy had seen our men comeing they started as fast as thare legs would let them our men captured some secesh and destroyed every thing that they had. Cyrus Newell is very sick now he has the typhoid fever he has been sick ever since the fight here.

 

            Charles Patterson is pretty sick now he is in the hospitle now with Cy. we have been expecting our pay ever since the last week the paymaster is here but has not paid us yet I do not care whether we get our pay or not untill after the fight is over here I expect our next battle will be at Corrinth Popes Division arived here the other day with about / 25,000 the 26 Regt is in that Division Augustus Arther is in that Regt our force is moveing out toward Corrinth all except Shermans Division that is the Division we are in General Grant sent word to General Sherman to have his division be as reserve he said let them fight som that has not fought aney yet and so I think we will be left as reserve. we are the first Regt of the 2^nd Brigade 5^th Division or Shermans Division we have about three hundred men fit for a fight out of a thousand thare is a great many sick now. have you heard from George Hawk yet I have not heard from him since he left here I have not heard from you for some time I do not know whether my letters get to you or not but if you do not get them I want you to write I want you to send me some papers to read I had as live have them as a letter but I want you to send me some stamps if you will I have not got ane I am expecting a letter from you every day I had a letter from Jennie Smith the other day it was 4 days comeing. it come through pretty quick. I have lost 20 pounds since I / left Paducah we have to go on duty pretty often now days because thare is so many sick but my health is verry good now I am out of money and things to write with but I think we will get payed off before long I have not heard from Hannah for some time I have a bile on my rite cheek and it is pretty soar but I had rather it would be that way than to come out in sickness thare was one fellow dide in the Regt last night I was in the hospitle a waiting on the sick the day before he dide the citizens are all around here now takeing up the dead and takeing them home you will see in the papers who was wounded by looking over the list of the wounded I come out all right but it is a wonder our Regt stood in one place and fired two hours and a half steady before we retreated and our Regt was alone fireing against 10 000 secesh the balls flew in every direction I got all the fighting I wanted sunday and monday I am not posed for another but there is agoing to be some fighting done before / a great while but we will not be in advance I do not think. the twentyeth Regt moved out the other day past us thare would of been a fight to day I guess if it had not rained thare may be aney how. this letter may not go out untill tomorrow I am verry anchus to hear from you I want you to write when you get this and send me some stamps if you will I will have to borrow one to send this with thare is none of our Deer Park boys sick onely Cy Newell and Charles Patterson and Charles West Charles was not in the hospitle no more this time pleas write soon I give my respects to all inquireing friends no more this time from your son John Beach

                                                           

& Direct as before

my love to all

 

I believe I will not put aney stamp on this envelope

 

Pleas send a paper                                          

 

If we get our pay I want to send 20 dollars home and I owe 2 dollars to G Smith that would leave me 4 dollars

 

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we are encamped by Shermans head quarters   eight months tomorrow since I enlisted

 

how does mary Anice get along Give my respects to her and tell her that I shall want to have her come over after she gets moved and see us I would like to see her before she goes away tell her that I shall be around some day

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