Wednesday 28^th 9 pm laying down in my amb. the day has been very hot nothing to do wrote 3 or 4 letters eat and slept Boys rtnd from White House with rations they say the roads are awfull. I think I know that. strange rumors are in the camp this camp of Banks defeat Rebels marching on to W &c. I dont believe a word of it. Thursday pleasant hot as ———. A lazy day AM slept Eat &c. P.M. rode thro "the country" tried to buy some butter at several houses. see some pretty white gals back 4 pm slept till dark. Oh a lazy day—ain't I ashamed— / of spending my time so.

 

Friday nearly same as yesterday PM We had a teriffic thunder shower kept up all night. it was awfull I slept warm & dry but not so with thousands of others. Saturday warm but the sun kept hid most all day rain a little from 5 pm to 9—We were lucky enough to buy 50 lbs of flour. Pancakes for breakfast & dinner I tried to make a short cake but it was not very good. All we had to mix with was water & salt. Bacon grease

 

We were ordered to harness up 3 pm drove to Genal Newtons Head Quarters remained here all night orders were to keep the horses all harnessed. I unharnessed mine & slept sound all night. Heavy firing was heard all the afternoon till 8 pm the rest of night was still saw some Artillery & a few Regts of infantry that were a moving—

 

Sunday pm 2 ock here I am in the hot sun same as yesterday / The Battle has been raging all day on our left the firing has been terrible some of the time but does not as yet come up to B. Run—

 

the firing this am was musketry but that has subsided now and the artillery are firing once in ten or twenty minutes sometimes for a few minutes they fire as fast as I can count. A great many wounded was brot down from our right Porters Div at Hanover Court House in last battle there There must have been over 500 secesh wounded in that Battle brot to the Hospitals in this vicinity. I hope this fight will not be so bad but present prospects indicate that it will precede any thing that we have had yet as far as I have seen the men are cheerfull and are anxious to see the thing thro Many anticipate a discharge of some of the Regts when Richmond is ours It seems to me as very hard to be wounded here the climate is so hot that a wounded man stands but little chance / of recovery, and they must suffer beyond all account. Persons or parties who urge this unfortunate war cant think or realize of the immense amount of suffering one day may or does bring forth The Sanitary Commission do a great deal to relieve this but still it is but a drop in the bucket.

 

We have several Officers who are sick in our Regt the acting QM has gone home to day I suppose we shall have a new man to fight with now Who or what the new man will be is not for me to tell at present. After one gets acquainted with a man and there is no great defect he hates a change it is so with us He can stay. I have not heard from Col Young. it is not time yet. Good news has come & the Regts around us are cheering (Franklins Corps or his old Div under Slocum have not been engaged in the fight at all today) 800 prisoners taken & more coming in "is the Report" under Genl Carney[?] it is most likely true as the news came from Hd Qrts—

 

[front margin upside down]

 

I have had no green vegetables as yet Strawberries sell for 50 cts per Qt and cant not be had for that as our supply no where near equals the demand—

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