Oct 2^nd 1862               

Camp near Sharpsburg Md.

 

Dear Sister

                        I rec'd yours of the 29^th Sept yesterday, and was glad to hear from you I also rec'd a letter from uncle Samuel dated the 11^th of last month. the reason why I did not get it sooner was because we did not get no mail for the last three weeks, that is from the time we left Washington. The last I wrote to you was the time we were at Frederick Junction near Frederick city. we left in the afternoon of the same day I wrote, and marched that day and all night until about 9 O.C. the next day / the distance was about 25 miles it was the hardest marching ever I did, and I suppose the hardest for the rest of our boys; during the march we passed through Frederick city, and ever since we left home we did not pass through a town in which the inhabitants were more clever and treated us with more respect than did the inhabitants of Frederick, and a more patriotic place we did not see. Almost from every window waved the stars & stripes, and a most constant cheering was kept up by our troops while passing through. We marched on, the next town we passed through was Middletown it was after night I could / not have a fair view of it but I noticed that there were several churches in it, and these were opened and lit up and filled with wounded soldiers. These men were wounded in the late battles of South mountain and Atietam. in the morning we passed through a town Boonsborough by name here we saw a great many wounded soldiers, a good many were but slight and mostly in the left arm and hand while others were more severe. buildings were filled with such and surgeons busily engaged in amputating limbs, and dressing wounds; we marched on and all along the road to where the battle had been could be seen wounded soldiers. Near the battle field / (that is where it had been the day before) we were drawn up in a line of battle. there we were as reserves I suppose for in front of us we saw men drawn up in a line of battle to the right & left of us as far as our eyes could carry waiting for an attack. but all was silent that day I suppose the enemy were making preparations to cross the river and perhaps were crossing at the time. the next day found the enemy's forces all on the Va side. we were marched up close to the river say ½ or ¼ of a mile behind a piece of woods. They being right on the other side of the river during our stay there (which was until evening) we could here the shells which were thrown from our guns whistle through the air and explode on the opposite side. I suppose the enemy was trying to plant there guns or fortify themselves in some way, but our shell were preventing them from doing it. We were not in any engagement yet but we were that near it that some began

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