Arlington, hithr. July 28 1861

 

Dear cousin

                        I recived your letter in due time I am glad to her foom you and to hear that granpa is getng I hope he will get well again giv my love grnma and aunt and the rest ov the family also uncle and aunt and the girles and hensyr houre hold family and all the rest of the folks that i am acquanted with with tell them that i want them to write to me for I cant write as often as they can for somtime i can write then i cant but I will try to write as often as i can that is all i can do but tell them to remember me tell them i shal remember them you said you would like to see the Big guns. the guns ar a little larger than that one in Birmingham / Som of the guns you can run your head in them. i dont think I could shoulder them at least i would hav to try prety often that is all I now must tell alitle of the fight that we had last thursday after noon it is a sight to behold to see the dead bodys strewed all around on the ground and the wounded to hear them grone and to hear the Balls whirel in the air and to see the bom Shels burst. on sunday the great batle was you no i supose hav see the papers before this time. the losses of our men 300 killed, 700 wounded, 800 missing the confederate loss in killed and wounded amounts to between 2000 3000 men a grate meny men got killed for taking the rebles to being our men for they had cloth like our men but i see that something is to be don rite off to save the lives of our men. I hope next time the fight comences that our men will nock them to hell and gon that is what i will do if i can if they dont kill me first. our brigade was the first one in the field of batle and the last one out of the field that is the micigan boys you no they is the ones that fight the New York boys dont lik to hav them put down. the michigan boys ar thought a grate deal of hear in washington. the rebles dont like them they ar to much deavel for them that is all that is the mater it was a sight to see the rebles run. So good by write to me when you get this letter

 

your cousin

                        Charles C. Heapkim

 

Jef Davis [drawing] tak leg bail

                                    or die

 

[overleaf, another hand] The writer was in 2^d Mich V.O. & refers to Blackburn Ford July 20 1861 & Bull Run

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