Va May 12^th

Camp near West Point

 

Dear Father and Mother.

                                    It is some time since I have wrote to you also some time since I have rece'd a letter from you, but I think that this afternoon I will occupy a part of my time in writing to you. The next day after I wrote to you, we left our camp and marched up towards Yorktown. It commenced raining and rained all the time we were on the march. we marched until we were within 1½ miles of Yorktown when we turned out in to an grasey field and pitched our tents, then about 4 oclock PM we had hardly got comfortable when we got orders to strike our / tents and fall in, and we turned out in the rain roolled up our blankets and put our tents on our knapsacks and started for the river we marched about ¾ of a mile and stood 2½ hours in the cold rain and mud up to our ankles to allow a division to pass us. I came near freezing to death, but at last we started but marched so slow that it took until 3 oclock the next morning before we reached the beach. We laid down and slept on the soft sand until morning, and then the sun came out hot. we stopped there until 3 oclock when we embarked on the C. Vanderbilt for West point; we arrived there at 12 at night and landed the next morning at nine. We were then drew up in line to support a battery of 6 pieces of artillery there was quite a / fight between a rebel Brigade and the 16^th and 27 New York regts there was a good many wounded and many knifed and bayoneted after they were wounded. I expected to have a fight that day but did not at night we were put out on picket and relieved the next morning and at 10 oclock started as we supposed for Richmond with 4 days rations in our haversacks. we marched 4 miles and stopped at our present camp, and have been here ever since. Monday night. Today I have received a letter from you, and a letter and 3 papers from New York which I shall enclose in this. We hear that Sedgwicks Division is going to Norfolk but dont know whether it is so or not. To day I came across a Quarterly Journal of the Division of the sons of Temperance and saw mention of the Ben Dix / lodge. Tell Ellen Willard that I do remember my spring bottom pants and how Charley laughed at me at the time. Ed Golden is not going to send any money this time so he says for he has signed the allotment roll and signed it over to the state until he comes home for his father will drink it all up. The reason I signed the allotment roll was because I thought I didnt need to spend so much money out here. Jim did not sign it he didnt want to. I received those papers from you with that story I liked it very much indeed. Sergeant Moore wrote on the out side of that letter. You did not think when you got that letter, that the next one would find Yorktown evacuated. I wrote that the 19 Regt was the first to plant the colors on the works that was at only one point however for the line of defense is 7 miles long. Their are very good fortifications around Yorktown and some very heavey guns. Every where in the roads in deserted tents in barrels of flour the rebels had planted torpedo shells fixed that if a man should jar it it would explode and kill 6 or 8 men at once. But I must bring this letter to a close for it is getting dark and tomorrow we have to turn out at 3 oclock I expect we shall move some where.

 

So good bye for now from your

affectionate son                                  

Geo. H. Patch.

           

Direct your letters the same as always.

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