Camp of 35^th Regt near

Petersburg Va Aug 8^th/64

To Jennie

 

                        Dear Daughter I rec^d yours of the 3^d last night I went over to the 1^st division Hospital about 12 miles from our camp I found Charley Bosworth better than I expected he is quite comfortable under the circumstances I think that he will get well there is a possibility of mortification takeing place so that he is not out of danger but I think there is not much probability of it he wrote to his folks not to write to him he wishes that you would tell his wife to write and answer his letters as soon as possible as he will stay here at present the Surgeon told him yesterday that they put him in that tent to die and / did not see how it happened that he could be wounded as he was and live but that he believed that he was a going to live after all when he was wounded he was partly laying down leaning on his right elbow and his left hand resting on the ground as a support that I think is the reason why the ball did not go through the intestines as the ball struck about 2 inches above the hip bone in the left side and was cut out the right side of the back bone grazeing it as it passed our regt is a going out to the front to night to work I went out last night and the night before we have all day to rest in but the flies are so thick that we cannot sleep much there was 4 regt in our division that went out last night / we did not have any one in our regt hurt the 59^th Mass have 2 men wounded the other regts 1 each we threw up more breastworks than the others did and comparetively speaking were more exposed than they were though the balls did not fly so thick as the night before when we went outside of our breastwork and dug a covered way to the picket line (that is to dig a ditch and throw the dirt up high enough on the side next to the line to cover a man) as he walks in the ditch we generally have it 7 ft from the bottom of the ditch to the top of the bank though some of them are 12 ft high and have to be dug in this shape [picture of zig-zag line with word "traverse" written sideways] so that the balls cannot go length / wise of the way the traverse in front being so high that a ball will not strike in the ditch we generally lay the blame of our failure in not takeing Petersburg to Mead being jealous of Burnside and not supporting him as there was men enough to eat the rebs up if they had been put in there was part of 2^d 5^th 10^th and 18 Corps present besides the 9^th but none but the 9^th crossed our breastworks and not all of them my health is good I think I weigh more than ever at this time of the year the report is that Gen Hooker is a going to take Meads place that Burnside has been offered the command in Maryland or Ohio and Kentucky and all the trouble is that he wants the 9^th Corps to go with him if he axcepts

write as often as you can from your Father

                                                                        Fisher A Cleaveland

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