Camp Near Corinth. July 18^th 1862.

                       

Dear Friend I take my pen to write a few lines to you my health and spirits are good at present and the only thing I have to complain of is the imposibility of getting a furlough home I did think I would get to go recruiting but Robinson was ahead of me so of course I had to give up and rest contented I often think of home and the friends I left there I often think of you and John I wrote John a letter some time ago and have not recieved an answer yet we get the mail now about three times a week the weather down here has been very warm and dry the farmers here do not work they lay around in the shade and fan themselves and watch there negroes they fear the Soldiers they seem to think we are going to steal their negroes I have easy times I am excused from all duty as color Corporel. the war is not over yet I think we will have more fighting to do I have been through two hard battles and one or two picket schirmishes before the battle of Shiloh we thought our fighting was about over and even on the morning of the battle when we heard the firing of the pickets we did not expected a fight and when / we rushed out to the scene of action on double quick time we made boasts that we could drive them off with little or no fighting but when sunday night came and we saw our positions how we had been driven a mile or more in spite of all our desperit fighting and saw our reduced numbers we began to think the case allmost a hopeless one but the next morning we saw the long line of fresh troops coming in to reinforce us and our hopes began to brighten and we who had fought hard all the day before and been up all night without sleep went at it with renewed vigor and with a determination to drive the rebles off and by another hard days work we made out to do it I expect to have more fighting to do yet but I hope we will never have an other such a battle as that one. I hope these few lines will find you enjoying the blessing of good health give my best respects to al. please write a letter from you would be read with pleasure. tell John to write.

                                                                       

From a friend

H. V. Hoagland

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