24
Camp Hamilton April 20th
Dear Mother
The fighting at Yorktown still continues. on thursday, I was on guard, and about 9. oclock at night, we heard hevey firing, and I heard afterwards that our troops had taken two batterys, but had to leave them. The rebels have the strongest kind of earthworks at Yorktown, And a successive line of battery’s. thay are defended by their best troops and have their best Generals at that place. I think it will be the hardest fought battle of the war, and more men killed then at Bull Run battle.
Last night we had a little / fight with sewell point batterys. Sewell point fired a shell at the rip raps about sundown and the Rip Raps answered it with an other from the Sawyer gun thay continued to fire at each other till dark. The Merimac has not made her appearance this week I think she must have damage herself considerable the last time she was out here The wether is very warm here. yesterday I took about 20 of the company down to swim the water was very warm
We have been picking up our tents and aveneus, and in front of our tents we have a flower garden, and between the / tents we have a grass plot we also have a pavement from one end of the camp to the other and stone steps in front of our tents. some have trees in front Gen Wool sent one of our Lieutenants over Hompton bridge after flowers and grass, and he told him, that it was all, foolishness, to get flowers, or grass, for we would all go away before two weeks but I have no such thought I think that we are to stop here till the war is over.
Lieut Ganthrop is very sick in the General Hospital he has the pneumonia some think he will never get over it / We are both of us are well and helthy Give our love to all
No mor but
remain Your Affectionate
Son W. F. Smith