Camp near Petersburgh Va.

                                                                                                                        Sept 7^th 1864

 

            Dear Father

                                    I now take the opportunity of answering your very willcome letter of the 3^rd witch was dully received and mutch appreciated by me for I was glad to hear from you. I would off answered it yesterday, but I had not time to do so on account of we haveing to move last night a little as they have been takeing some of the troops out of the front line our regt. occupies the space of two other regiments besides the same ground that we occupied be fore so we are stretched / out pretty well and it weakens the line a good eal. but it will be strong enoughf to hold it I gess. there is nothing more aaround here new that I know of except they are a strengthing the works last night the engineers was to work out in front of the works a putting down wire. they put three rows down so if the rebs charges a crost they will most likely be thrown down as they will not be a looking for any sutch obstructiones and then just after they pass the wires there is another fine obstruction. it is sharpened sticks fastened in the ground and befor they could get over / all of them we could hurt a good many of them but there is no danger of them undertakeing to cross the feild here in front of us. the rebs has a very weak line in front of us. I should not be mutch surprised if there was not another large fight down on to the left on the Welden road. I think that the rebs is determined to take that road at all hazzards. but they will have hard fighting before they get it as our men has had time to fortify them silves as they like but they are all of the while putting up more large forts to command the ground for two / miles around, so they will have to march a good ways under the fire of the artilery before they engage the infantry. You say that the some of them around there is a leaving on account of the draft and that it is small buisiness. You say true. it is an ever lasting disgrace to them. and if they should be drafted it is my wish that they should be caught and made to serve to the end of the war or as long as the government wants a soldier here in the feild. I have no sympathy for any one who will desert his home and country in that way. it is a cowardly peice of buisness. /

 

N.B.

we have just received orders to move I cant say where or what to do but will write the first opportunity.

                                                                        Wilson. Sproul.

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