Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment.

Co. C. Capt Dudley

Pleasent Valley Md.

Oct 14^th 1862.

 

Friend William,

                        I will now seat myself to answer your kind letter I received a short time since. I was glad to hear from you and to hear that you were all well and enjoying good health. I am well and never was better in my life. I have grown fleshy since I came out here. we have all the horse meat we want. of course that will make any one fat. Well Billy we are now in old Maryland the Rebel Country. we are about 4 miles from Harpers Ferry. the place where John Brown had so much trouble. I went over there about a week ago / I went all over the village. it is a desolate place. the houses are all burned to the ground. it is a horrible sight to behold. I went to the place where John Brown commanded his Negroes. it was a Fire Engine house. I saw the Engine he sat on when he gave out his orders. I will send you a piece of the Engine which I cut off with my own knife. you may put it with the other curiositys.

 

Well I will write something about the state of things around us. there is a great Army around us all of Burnsides Army. probably there is 25 Regiments besides Batteries Cavalry &c the Rebels have been within 12 miles of us. they came to a place called "Point of Rocks". they came across the Potomac and tore up the Railroad took things from the cars. they stopped a train of cars which had our napsacks in. we expect they / took them. I am willing they should have mine for their wasnt any thing in it. I was lucky, I took my over coat with me. the rest of the boys left theirs. most of the boys left all their things in them.

 

Well Billy we expect we shall have orders to march today. we have got to take sixty rounds of cartridges with us so that looks so something was going to be done soon. the Boys say they are ready to fight. they are all in good spirits. I sure I dont wish to see any fighting at all. I dont want to see the 11^th Regiment cut up. I would really like to see all of our New Hampshire boys go home but probably some of us will go home a corpse if we go at all. Oh Bill the 35 Mass is about 10 rods from us the one John Averill was in. the boys say he was wounded in the last Battle. Wailand Balch / went out to see him the other day and they told him he was wounded. did you know Wailand Balch was in the 11^th N.H. Regiment. he is Company E. Capt. Shattucks Co. Well Willie you have got any quantity of news. how do you get along farming. I suppose you have commenced digging potatoes havnt you! how do they turn out in that garden or cornfield. I presume John works for you yet does he? (Faith and shure he does.) Well Billy I guess I have written about all the news. I havnt much to write this morning we dont get any news out here. it is a scarce article. I will bring this miserable scrawl to a close. Excuse mistakes.

 

Please write soon.

 

Give my love to all the folks I should be happy to hear from any of them. tell your Mother to write I will answer with pleasure.

 

Good Bye.

From your friend

Edmund P. French.

 

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Tell Fred Hildreth to answer my letter or I will be after him.

 

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You tell your Father I would like that two dollars if he could send it conveniently for I should like it I am getting rather short of money I like to have a little about me if you will send it I will be obliged to you.

Park

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