Camp Near Petersburg.

July 4^th 1864.

 

Friend Willie.

                        I received your kind welcome letter yesterday aft. I was glad indeed to hear from you and hear you were all well. I had been waiting patiently for a long time to hear from you it seems. you are at home farming. Well that is pretty good business. rather better than soldiering. I know that by experience soldiering is a hard life to live. if you should try it you would find it so. we are having very hot weather indeed. / it is also very dusty. we havent had any rain for nearly 2 months. it is so dusty sometimes we can hardly breath. I never see such times before. it must be very unhealthy indeed. there is so many dead horses mules. not only that the poor soldiers aint half burried. some of them aint put more than 2 feet under ground. they did not pretend to bury the dead more than half deasent. I think it is a shame.

 

Well Willie this is 4^th of July here we are 2 miles from Petersburg. this is a quiet day for 4^th not much cannonading only pickets fireing. we expected there would be a Big Battle today. we heard old Lee was going to supprise / the Nation 4^th of July. it seems he dont. I wish he would supprise the Nation by surrendering. it supprises other Nations too. we have got 4 Forts ready to blow up. I think Lee will get somewhat supprised when he hears these Forts go up.

last night our folks put 6 32lbdrs. in a Fort near our Brigade. they are 11½ feet long. those are the things we make the Johnnies take up. we have had 3 killed in my Co. within a week. one of them was cook. The sharpshooters shot him. he had been up with the coffee and was coming back. he sat down on the railroad track to rest himself. the Rebels shot him dead. our Regt. is getting very small indeed 300 men. 

 

You say I must come home and marry Nelie do you? I dont hardly think she would consent. I aint in a great hurry how is Miss Sall now. you said she was sick or had been. Well I suppose you get along nicely in farming dont you now. how does the hay crop look this year. I wish I was there to help cut it. I like to mow tiptop. I rather do that than be a soldier. "When this cruel War is over" I will come down and see you. then we will have a good long chat about these things. as there is no news to write I will bring to a close hoping you will write again soon. you must excuse all mistakes my pen is poor you can see by the writing &c. Love to all the folks with a share yourself. write soon.

 

From your Friend E. P. French

 

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Direct your letter to

Washington D.C. 2^nd Brig.

2^nd Division

9^th Army Corps.

Park.

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