Virginia           May 28^th          /62

 

Dear wife I received your leter Monday the 26 I was happy to hear from you you say you do not see enny thing of our Division in the papers our Regiment is in the First Brigade in Casey Division our Division is in Keys Core Negelley is our Brigadier General Coonel Caldwell has ben promoted to a Brigadier General & left us Coonel Lieutenant Plaisted Coonel Plaisted has ben promoted to Coonel I think he will bee the best man for us I like him verry much he is a cousin to Gorge Plaisted Keys Corps is encamped with in 7 miles of richmond whe are close by the railroad that runs from Richmond on the James River to west Point on the York River Whe have followed them up prety snug they have a bout one Brigade for a rear guard I should think by the looks of their places of encampment they will make a stand some times until our Cavelry & Artilery come up with them & gives them shot & shell then they will run our Cavelry & Artilery came up on them last Saturday & kild sixty of them then they run whe have ben resting two days now only Guard duty & falling trees & throwin up some brestworks Mclellen is on our right betwen us & York River he has places about evry three miles from Chickahominy Creek to ware we are to fall back on in case of a repulce I rather think whe shall bag our game About Richmond our Army has ben a good deal reduced by sickness my health has pretty good the most of the time I have had some green apple sauce one of the apples was about as big as robbins egs last night I & my pardner had stewd high bluberry sauce I have ben promoted to Color Sargent if nothing hapons to me I shall have the onor of baring the Stars & Stripse in to Richmond I have given up my gun & equipments I care for my weapon of defence a sword I have 8 Coporals for Color Guards with me I dont have enny duty to do only when the hole Regiment mooves then I have to march & care the Color it is pretty hard to march & carry as much load as I do I think Henry Thompson has ben prety smart do you here enny thing of Wesley Thompson how is Samuel Thompson & Warren Moores eyes did you raise enny pigs did you have hay enough 

 

Capt Kimble has resined his office the Company is under Capt Cole he was first Lieutenant our Secon Lieutenant was sick & resined I dont like Cole as well as I did Kimble altho it dose not make much diferance with me for I do not have much to do with the Company without it to draw my rations. I was appointed to my place by the Coonel & no thanks to Cole our first Lieutenant name is Alvoid Whitney the one that was orderly Sargent is acting Secon Lieutenant Last night our Picket Guard fired their guns & we was turned out & orderd to get our equipments on & lay with them on & our arms by our sides But we woke up this morning & found our selfs all safe we sleep verry comfortable in our little tents big enought for two men when we can plenty of bord to put under us the wether is pretty warm here now this is a wilderness place as far as I have gone & verry thinley seteld there is no enterprice in the people here Ho have you got for school agent & for high way survayor I dont make enny calculations when I shall bee dischaged for I can not tell enny thing about it I am willing to stay as long as Government wants me Give my love to the chrildren & all the rest of the friends I suppose the Babys will gro up so I shal not no them when I get back How dose Frank stand it Does he keep blowing as much as he did when you rite rite all the news you can it dont cost enny more to send a large leter than it does a small one I will close for I cant think of enny more trash to rite

 

fro your Husband A T Katon             

 

I have enclose two little peaches

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