camp of the 4^th NY Cav

Pleasent Valley Md Mar 15^th/65

No1

 

Friend Hattie

                                                                                                                        Please excuse me this time for not answering your letter before which I recd on the 9^th for I have been quite buisy since I got back here well now I know why we did not get wine insted of sider at M^r Barbers. Why did you not interduce your self to him when you went in first. but we will not cry for spilt milk now

 

                                    I axcept the good wishes of your Mother & your self with thanks but the thanks are not required for I have don nothing merriting them so dont mention / it again I am doubley repayed in being favored by your letters well enough of this

 

                                    perhaps you would like to hear how nice we enjoyed this last rade well only for bad wether we should have enjoyed it first best but when we got into the interesting part of it it commenced to storm so we had to fight the rebels & the elements also thoe we did not pay much attention to the storm but kept on the forward movement compelling the enemy to make a retrograde one as they was not able to wistand the impetuosity of our galent commanders charges which strued deth along their lines or capturity to their men well we drove them about 30 miles before they found a good position as they thought to distroy the / yank cavalry for we had nothing but Cav. with us axcepting 4 peces of artilery well this place was at DrainsBourough there they tryed to do something but soon found that the yanks was too much for them & was on all sides of them before they knew it & the only thing they could do was surender concequentley about 1200 rebs fell into the hands of the Bloody Yanks with 8 peces of Artilery & over one hundred waggons with 13 battle flags well mister Earley felt sick & run off or he too would have been taken with his staff which stood & got captured like a white mice well after this my regt with several other detachments was sent to escort the Johnes to winchester / & where in due time we arived without loss of prisenors althoe we was tried severel times but without doing any good onley to add about 100 more rebes to our number of prisenors which we axcepted without returning thanks aint I smart to blow now that I am where the rebs cant harm me well so is nature & that is why I am speaking in this way

 

Well Hattie I hope you will not get disgusted with the hospitalites of my home & leave on that account I hope if you do leave you will come some times & see my sisters for in your letter you say your folks are going to move & you are going to close school pleas write when you have seen Maggie Garvey I think Charley is the young mans name

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