Near Petersburg Va. June the 2/64

 

Dear Miss

            I embrace the present opportunity of droping you a few lines to inform you I am well and have escaped being wounded so far we have took a good many men out of this co Sam Ray died the other day from his wound some think Kelly will not live we had some three or four killed dead on the field we have been laying in the breastworks here for a weak with shells passing over us thick every day we have to lay close some days to keep safe Co. F of this Regt lost some men this morning while on picket before our breastworks our picket line and the Yankees are so close to gether they can almost shake hands with each other they are exchan / ging papers most all the while with the yankees our men and the yankees have been shelling each other ever since daylight this morning they make the whole woods ring we are seeing the hardest time we have ever seen since we have been in service Some of us can hardly get up when we are down there is some talk of our going to Lee we are now under marching orders he is fighting hard down below Richmond there is a great many kiled and wounded from our county I expect you have herd before now I fear we will all be kiled before this fight is over there is a shell bursting over us most every three minuets but they cant get to us for our breastworks we are geting so we can cook and write when they are shelling us

 

            the shells are jarring me so passing over I 

 

we have been in it so long our Regt has been marching and fighting for the last three months I think if any of us can live to see this fight over we will have peace we are faring hard here for the want of something to eat we do not get half rashings and they are faring wors under Lee som of us has not had clean close to put on in three months you may guess we are geting black I think some of my little [?] in moore although I am faring so hard if I could just only have the luck to get back to see some of them again it would bee some satisfaction to me to bee here the most of the fellows seem to be in good hart yet although there is so many geting kild and wounded there is some seven or eight of them are wounded Some of the yankees came over and give themselves up to us this morning they are good looking / men all that I have seen I have not received but one letter from moor county sence I left home I concluded I would write to you to see if you would not answer one I never have been so mighty worn out before as I am now we have all lay here in an old black ditch untill we cant wash ourselves clean if I could just be at home for two or three weeks to clean up I would not mind it our Regt is some three hundred smaller than it was a month or two ago you must keep a good word to all my little girls for me and also something good for yourself as I beleave I think the most of you you must bee serten to write to me soon give me all the news you must not get marid until this war is over They must all say they are going to wate until then There is not much news stiring here only hard times yours

 

Truly                           M. A. M^cNeill

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