Hilton Head. SC. July 9^th 1862.

                       

Dear friends,

Once more I sit down to write you a few lines for the purpose of letting you know that I am in the land of the living, and I hope these few lines may find you enjoying yourself.

 

this has been a very hot day. it is now about 6 oclock PM. the troops are all out on a grand review this afternoon, and the reason that I am not out is because I have had another one of the big boils right on my left elbow and I had to rip my coat and shirt sleeve both open clear above my elbow, but it is getting well now. I think that I shall be around again in a day or two. I have heard to day that we were going to move tomorrow to our summer quarters, about three miles from where we are now. there was a mail came in here last week but I did not get a letter. I think there must be a hole in the Post Office. / We lost another man out of our Co last week. he died of brain fever in the hospital, he was sick but a few days. his name was Christopher Miller. I think he was from Chatham. he leaves a wife and several children. Secesh lead cant kill our men, they all die of disease. I am afraid it is going to be very sickly here this summer. there is some 8 or 10 in our Co that are unfit for duty, though we are in a very healthy place. we are within 100 rods of the sea beach, where we can look as far as the eye can extend and see nothing but water, with the exception of the ships that are passing backward and forward every day.

 

            I believe the last letter that I wrote you we were on James Island. we had a pretty hard time of it there. the letter I wrote there on James Island and brought it down here with me. we did not come down here until on the fourth of July. we went out on Picket the last day that our Reg^t staid there, and they came away in the night and left us so we laid around two days waiting for a boat. 

 

Well it is getting towards sundown and I will have to bring this to a close. there is no war news to write. the last we heard from McClellan, he was fighting yet at Richmond. I send you some verses that I scratched off yesterday with one hand. if you can read them, you will do well. so no more this time. please write often. direct to Port Royal, SC. Co I, 45^th Reg^t. Penna Vol. this from your friend and brother, Wm Chase

                                               

to G. W. & Mary Kennedy

Stony Fork

Penna

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