Camp near Fair Oaks V^a June 18/62

 

Dear Kate. I send these few lines to let you know that I am well and hope that they will find yourself and the children in good health. Our regiment have been ordered to fall back and join the rest of our Division to recruit the health of the men and give them some rest for we have been entirely cut off from the division since the day the fight commenced and laying on the advance under the fire of the enemy's guns doing advanced picket duty which is the most laborious as well as the most dangerous post of duty. General Sumner had command of us and wanted to keep us in his division as he said we were the only / fighting regiment in the brigade and General Keyes had to go to General M^cClelland before Genl Sumner would let us go. we were laying on very bad ground in a swamp and and the men began to suffer very much in health in fact we have not more than three hundred men fit for duty at the present time and most of them are not in very good health. I have lost fifteen pounds but I have been in good health all along We fell back to this place where we lay now (about one mile from where we were before) on last Monday. the ground is high and dry where we lay and a much better place than where we were before, but the water is very bad and scarce. the regiment was paid two months pay yesterday and I send twenty five dollars to Kelly / for you it is all that I can send as I had to borrow some money to get things to eat and a shirt and I want to keep a little with me for tobacco to chew and smoke every thing is so infernal dear out here, a shirt that is worth about fifty cents in Philadelphia is worth three dollars out here. the rebels had every shirt but the one I had on and that I wore for nearly three weeks before I had a chance to get some soap to wash it. write to me as soon as you get the money Give my respects to all the folks. Write soon and let me know all the news. I suppose you have plenty of strawberries and such stuff in Philadelphia now. Just think of me when you eat them and that will answer the same purpose

                                                                       

Yours              Tom

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