Camp Suffolk Va

                                                                                                            Dec 28^th 1862

Mrs. Kilday

 

                                                                                                            Dear Sister

yours of the 14 was duley received and I was glad to hear from you and to know that you was well for health is the greatest of blessings that we can injoy my health is good at preasant we have sean some hard times since I wrote to you in the way of Marching the next day after I wrote to you we started for Franklin at 7 oc PM and arived/ there at 4 oc the next morning after marching all night in the mud and we was halted long enough to eat a few hard tack and then was called up in line of battle and our artilery comensed to shell the town but we was met by a forse to strong for us to cross the river at that point so a part of our forses went to Carsville and crossed there but they were driven back and after a warm engagement of about 4 hours we was oblige to fall back as the Rebels was being reinforsed from Petersburg/ and Richmond bothe plases are within 40 miles of Franklin and the Railroads runs from Richmon direct to Franklin we lost 22 men and 15 horses and took 48 Prisoners one of our Lieutenants was shot through the Heart but one of our Boys saw him as he don it and shot him dead he was in a Tree and he fell like a Squirel to the ground so we came back to our old encampment and I hope we will stay here until spring. you said that Jimmey had left Pitsburg for Washington there is eight thousand/ of the drafted men from Pitsburg and Philrdelpha here and more comming every day and I have ben to a goodmany of the Regiments to sea if I could finde him but one may as well look for a Bee in a whole swarm as to look for a man in the armey unless he knows what Regiment he is in there is five of the Pensylvana Regiments that leve here in the morning for North Carolina and I want you to wright as son as you get this and let me know what Regiment Jimmey is in as we may go where the Regiment is if it isent here and I will finde him if posible but I think that he is eather here or at Norfolk as most of the troop are at one of 2 places/

 

good morning

as my letter hasent gon I will wright a few lines more I havent heard from Jane in some time and I am ancious to hear from her and I think that I will get a letter to night as the Washington Mail comes in this after noon. I was out on Picket one night last weak and one of the Pa Boys was shot dead by some of the damd Rebels he was one of the 176 Regiment there was several/ shots fired at us but non of us was hurt besides the one that was kiled he lived about 20 minnets it was very dark and we couldent sea a man 3 rods from you as we was in the woods I orderd the men to lay down close to the ground and my self and one of the men cralled on our Hands and nees in the direction where the firing was and we could here 2 men whispering with each other one of them said if he could get a shot at that damd longleged Lieutenant he would be satisfied/ with that nights job but they got the shot but it dident do any hurt the Ball struck about 4 feete afore me in a large Pine Tree there is some one eather killed or Wounded most every night and I am tell you it isent very pleasant to be shot at by those carlesses cusses espsialy in the night but some of the Boys fool them onset while one of them built a fire on his post and took of his coat and cap and put them on a log so as to look like a man lying on the ground/ and went of a little ways from it and laid down and in the night some one shot at it and waited afew moments and as it dident stir he suposed that he had killed him and so he went up to sea if the man was dead and the fellow shot him through the leg and Brok it and he is in Jale now in this Sitty I guess that I have wrote as much as you care about reading pleas wright son and let me know where Jimmey is

 

            Yours with Respect

                                    T.S. Rolph

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