[Lockman served with William H. Brotherton in Co. K, 23rd NC Inf. William Brotherton had been captured at Winchester on September 19th and spent the remainder of the war at Point Lookout prison camp in Maryland.]

Camp Near Newmarket V.A
Oct 23 1864
to Thomas Brotherton
Dear Sur
I take the pleasure in answern
yur letter which come to hand
afew days a goe these few lines
leaves me all well I hope those
few lines may find you &
famley well you wrot to me
to know whether I new any
thing about your Son William
I have enquired all through
the Regt & they wasent any one
that could tell me any thing about
him they wasent any body that
saw him wounded but they saw
him in a very hot plaice i cant
tell you any thing about him
only that he is missen i hope
that he is only taken prisinor
I would have wrot sooner but we
have been movin all the time
[page 2]
we had Battle hear on the 19
first gave the yankeys agood
thrashing but they reinforced & drove
our men Back our loss was hevy
in they of Wagons & ambulances
& Artellery but we did not
loose neare as many Priseners
as we taken Mr. M. Ballard was
wunded & Mr. J. Nixon was
wunded & Mr. J. Long is missen
we loost one Great General
Gen S. D. Ramseur was wund
& the yankeys got him well I
must Close excuse all Bad writing
& spelling L. A. Lockman
PS tell Mr Goodson that I
heard from Alburt the 17 an
he was suffering a great deal
with his wund they was one of
Co. D come from there maid his
way through the lines he said that
Alburt looked very bad
nuthing more Write Soon
I havent any stamps