Camp Bowers Portsmouth V^a

July 25^th /63

 

Dear Ari

                        I received your letter yesterday with the $2.00 in it all right. I felt rich after I got that I tell you. I am well again and am on picket now right on the rail road track about 1½ miles from Portsmouth. our camp is about 3 miles from Portsmouth so you see that it is an inside picket to keep the soldiers from runing away down to Portsmouth. one of my boys wanted me to go out a little ways. I told him I wanted to write and could not. he said he would not ask me to stop and did not have to for the blackburys were so thick that I stoped without askeing. I wish you could see them one half so thick at home. the boys go out and come in with a water / pail full in a short time. Oh dear thay keep me running all of the time to examin passes. we ar on post on the railroad crossing and there is a great deal of travel and no one alowed to pass without a pass. the gard that is posted stops everyone and then calls me to look at their pass if thay have one. if it is right I let them go. if not I send them back.

 

I was on the sick list one week but I feel pretty well now but not quite so well as I did befor I was sick we are stopping here at our old camp some chopping some shoveling and some doing picket duty. I expect we shall have to take it when we get those conscrips out here. there is 8 or 10 gorne home out of our Regt for conscrips. have thay / drafted there yet. if thay have tell me who thay have drafted. if you see any of the drafted ones tell them not to be frightened for it is nothing but fun to be out here. I wish I could be there to go for a substitute for some of them mony chaps.

 

            Sunday morning July 26^th it is a splended morning and I will try and finish my letter. we got along first rate last night with the exception of the darned musketoes thay did bite right smart. Oh. our Capt starts for home to day on a furlough of 15 days. I have sent my overcoat and dress coat home and thay got it down to Little River when you go down you can get them and wash them if you have a mind to. I will tell / you about our march. well we started from our old camp the 22^nd day of June took transports for Yorktown stoped there 2 or 3 days took boats again for White house Landing. that is where Geo Washington courted Matha his wife. we stoped there untill the first day of July then we started to march for Hanover Court house about 45 miles we arived there the 4 of July. our Regt was left behind as reserve but the rest of the division went on about 3 miles further to the court house. (Our Capt has just took leave of us bound home if you see him you can inquire after me if you want to. you had better go down to Portsmouth if you would like to see him I would like to have you see him and then you will feel better about me. ask him if he can give a good report of me.) when thay arrived at the court house thay meet the rebels in strong force so thay did not fire a gun. at about midnight the rebels opened fire on our folks but our folks never returned the fire. thay wounded 2 or 3 of the 99^th N.Y. that died the next day /

 

the next morning we all started back burning bridges and distroying railroad track. we marched back to white house landing and then to Yorktown from Yorktown to Hampton then we took transports to Portsmouth. then we had 3 miles to march to camp we arrived in camp at 11 oclock at night tired enough to I tell you. I could write a lott more about it but perhaps it would not be interesting to you so I will close

 

How is Elmer tell him to be a good boy. perhaps papa will get home before / he gets his presant. well he shall have a good one then

 

            Well we have been relieved from picket and I am in camp again. it is very warm here to day. I dont think of any thing interesting to write. the report here is that Lee is captured but I think it is doubtful although I hope it is so.

 

Give my love to all the folks and tell them the war is most over.      the left

           

write soon

                       

good day

S. B. Tarlton

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