(kiss little bubby for his Pa give my love to any and all. ask Leon to write to)

 

                                                                        Manassas Junction Aug 29^th 1863

 

Dear Wife

                        I received your kind letters last evening one of the 21^st and one of the 24^th I was vary glad to hear frome you and my loing little boy. O what a nice little fellow he must be by this time I do not believe he would know his pa after his being gone one year. it is just one year a go now since I parted with you bubby and Ma on the platform at Hornellsvile. I can look back and see just how things looked at that time and I hope we will have the pleasure of meating a gain just whear we parted. I scarsely know how the time has passed away it seams vary short to us all the boys all say/ that a year never passed so quick in theyr life as [paper torn] has. I hardly ever seamingly have so short a year to me. I suppose it is on account of there being so much a going on all arround us. it is not such buisnes as you see at home, for there you see none of the army works attall and here the carrs ar full of Soaldiers passing each way, and such a large quantity of Oats, hay, pork, flower, hard tacks or army crackers, Cannon, waggons and lots of other things to numerous to mention. we ar but three miles from the Old bull run battle field, and a good deal up many other places where there has been fights. but there is no Rebs vary near here now. about two weaks ago one of our four horse mule teams went out about a mile from camp to get some/ board. there was about 20 boys allong but had no guns with them and all at once four Rebs came out of the woods on hors back armed, and took three of the mules. they had to cut the harnes to get them away. but one of them would not lead, and so the Rebs let him go and one of our boys run up jumped on his back and away he went for camp. they took one of of our boys prisoner but when the Reb was not a looking he up and run like a dear and got away. our boys had no guns or else they would of killed all of them. they were bush whackers that make it theyr buisnes to cut up in that way or sculk arround and when they see one of our men they will shoot him if they can. but as much as I have been arround [paper torn]w one yet, when we at/ Suffolk Spears Cavelry wer out toards black water came accros seven of them. they killed four of them and took the other three prisoners but in less than tenn minutes all three of them wer a hanging on a tree by the side of the road, and wer left there. that is the way we youse bush whackers when we cach them but they are pretty scears arround here. we expect to go to washington to a place called Lorral Hill, between there and Baltimore to drill the govermment is to let us have five hundred horses furst to drill on, and then we ar to have ours from home. each one will ride the hors he gets from home. we may go thear this weak and mabe not untill next. if we get to Lorral hill then we can get boxes from home and mabe furlows I hope so for it seams to me that I must go and see to the dividing of the land. Ma wrote me some time a go that they would take cair of my stock this winter, and I know that there is fodder enough of my part on my land to keep my stock next winter and that Smith sayed he would take cair of my things this winter, and

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