In Front of Petersburg Va.

Sunday July 24^th 1864

 

Darling Mamie—

                        I received your kind encouraging letter yesterday—I was happy as I always am to receive a letter from you darling—Your constant assurance of unfailing love cheers me much & if it were possible would strengthen my love for you but it seems impossible for one to love another more deeply or devotedly than I do my darling Mamie—It gives me great pleasure to hear from you that you are enjoying yourself on your visit so well—To day being Sunday both sides seem to have some regard therfor it being unusualy quiet There was a terrific canonade this morning It commenced at 12 oclock last night & lasted about an hour. The Rebs. were shelling the camp of 1^st Div.—We left the camp last night & were in the trenches, but one Brig of the Div is in camp at a time the other two being in the trenches They did not hurt many I hear—But it is not very pleasant to be in the woods where our camp is and have all the trees shot off over your head It makes one think that they mean to hit him/

 

July 25^th          I did not have an opportunity to finish my letter yesterday & will try to now Day before yesterday I was agreeably suprised to see an old friend and relative Geo. Brown. of the 12^th C.V. His Corps the 19^th has just arrived from New Orleans. or rather Washington. They arrived at Fort Monroe on their way here & from there they were ordered to Washington to drive back the “Raiders” but did not get there in time to have any fight with them. Geo. is an honor to the Brown family. He is a splendid looking fellow & a perfect gentleman I wish he was in our Regt. He was well tell his folks if you see any of them Last night was a “horrid” night one to make a man Home sick It commenced raining about dark & continued all night a cold N. East rain. The men necessarily had to be out in it keeping an eye open for the “Johnnies” & I think I never suffered so much from any storm in the winter after it had rained a short time the mud was knee deep in the trenches I slept part of the night wet as I was but it was poor rest My dreams were troubled/ones about my darling. & not pleasant as they usualy are I wish I could tell you what they were but I will not not for they were but the product of a troubled sleep—I have written you one or two letters which you had not received at the date of your last I hope you may receive them yet I suppose we shall be paid off soon and if we are we shall receive quite a little “pile” of money the most of which I shall send home for I know that you and mother must be in need of some things are so enormously high We shall be relieved to night & go to the rear for our usual two days rest. I wish I might leave the trenches to go home It is with the deepest gratitude for him that we hear that “Father Abraham” has called for five hundred thousand more men I have thought for some time that it was time for the “second relief” to fall in It will make some of them shake I have but one relative or friend but what I hope will be drafted that’s Ben, But tell him if he get drafted to come I cannot write to him at present but will soon he can hear from me through your letter I must close write soon Excuse me for not filling up my sheet this time Good bye & God bless

                                                                        Your    C G Stanton

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