Sharlottsville Aug 5th 1864
James Whitaker
Dear Father I write you a few lines
tho I am in a bad fix to write I took sick some 2 weeks
ago first a savier cold & then disentary I stade
with the army till I got so weak that I could
hardly walk I left the army near Winchester I was
Sent to Mount Jackson hospital from thar I was
Sent to Stanton & then to this place I came her
on the 1st of this month I am on the mend but
very weak yet Mc Whitaker [1] was Sent to Mt. Jack
son the day before I was & then to Stanton & to
this place he was then sent to Linchburg I have
not herd from him Since he left her I expect to
go thar but the doctor Sed I had beter Stay her
& be quiet for a while Mc bad fever was beter
when he left her. thar is meny Sick & wunded
her only 2 of my acquantance, I am sick among Strangers
but not withour friends this is a good hospital every
attention pade to the Sick
I will try to give you a short seth [2] of our march to
Meriland tho I cant give dates as I have no mem
-orandom with me we left Saltville to meet Hunter
in the valley of V.A. went to Stanton on the cars
then marched 15 miles to meet Hunter on north
River he [???] & got behind us we then fell
back ner Stanton took another Road cam up
with the yankey armey in line of batel Gen Jones
thout proper to fight them her which we did repuls
-ed them 2 [???] of whair I was they was
retreating the 2nd time when we was flanked
on our right [??] the 60 VA. Regnt fled with [3]
out firing again [??] the victory then was
one of the Blackest Batels of the war we lost
800 or 1000 kild [?????????????]
[???] kild [?????????????] Jones [??????]
[page 2]
he was commanding our Brigade I lost 1 kild 2 taken [4]
prisoners out of my small company it was [???]
eny of us expected we fought at least 5 to
one we saved all our [????] & canon [????]
[????] & co after this batel we had a race with
Hunter to Linchburg beet him thar whipt him
& run him past Salum Clean off out of the Cun
-try we then marched to Stanton their to win
chester then to Martins burg thar we whipt the
yankes captured 100000 bushels of corn and
as meny of oats we then burnt an extencive brid
-ge on the Baltimore & ohio RR & tore it up fer miles
we then took harpers Ferry with a large amount
of stores then charged the yankes on Meryland Hig
-hts ran them into thar forts caused them to burn
thar stores we then went to Frederick City had
a savier fight thar whipt the yankes kiling a
grate meny & ca

tering the Balance the
pre[?]ines they threw down thar armes & fled
to ward Baltimore this left nothing in the
way to the Sity we went thar drove the yankes
from thar first of intrechments burnt
Some fortes, we all expected next day to take the
City which we all thought we could have done but
after laying on our armes all day we was mar
ched off late in the evening & back to the Poto
mack & then to the [????????????] whar we
had another fight whipt the yankes kild
a meny of them we then marched by
a sou route to Stra[?]sburg then back to win
chester I left the army ner winchester last sat
urday week they had a fight next day drove
the yankes 10 miles took about 2000 prisoners
I understand Thomas Legion is to take the prisoners
to the south tho I do not know if it is so
they are [????????????] to[???] place
[??????????????????????????????????] [5]

[added across page in later hand]

A Leter from Father in 1864
War times
J. Mc Whitaker