July the 12 1862
Dear Mother Brothers an Sisters I take
my pen in hand to inform you
that I am well as could be expected
considring what I have gone through
Mother I have been in A battle sence
I wrote to you it was the hardest
fight that I ever heard tell of before
it come of Last thusday was A week
Ago and the Like of ded men an horses
I never saw before I have been on two
battle fields besids the one that I
fought in two men got shot down
wright by me an the canester balls
I never witchnest the Like before our
Col got wonded an Liut Col got killed
and we on the battle field without
any commander Mother toung cannot
tell what A narrow chance we run
I shall be ever thankful to my god
for preserveing me that time three
got killed from this Company and twelve
wounded and thank god not A haire
of my head got hurt I thought I Loved
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you and my god before but I did not
Love you Like I do now I know thair
is no thankfully being to my heavenly
father then I am for taking care of me
that day Mother I will write you
more About it the next time for
I cant think of one half that I have
Seen an heard I want you to take
evry thing fare an easy an dont study
About me too much for I hope the
Lord will take care of us all that
is my belief I received your Letter
yesderday an was so glad to here
from you for it is the first time
that I heard from you sence I Left
kinston an I was regoist to hear
that you was getting A Long as well
as could be expected Mother I never
wanted to go home to see you so bad
in my Life I would give Almost
any thing to go home to stay for
I would ingoy my self so well and the
satisfacting it would be to both of us
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and not only that but I know that
you cant hold up to do what you do
you said that John thompson would
assist me in paing some one to take
my place I cant get nobody for two
hunderd Dolars here for I have done all
that I cold an I cant do much towards
highering any one thair unless I could
be home and if you please tell him
to get some one to take my place
for two hunderd Dolars that he can
do more towards it then I can an
he can get them cheper then I can
tell him if he will be so good as
to do it for me that he knowes
what sort of person they Aught to
be some one that will clare me
for the war tell him that I am
going to write to him and if he
will try an get some one that
I will pay him for his truble
if he requires it tell him to try
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mackuntush if he sees proper to do
so or any one makes no ods who so he
can get some one and that I will
pay them cash or as much as I can
Mother we have not been in our
tents in three weeks to day took
the wether just as it come an I
dont know when we shall go to
to our tents it wont be Long I dont
think an we are all broke down
an wared to death for we folard
after the yankes thirty mils below
richmond clean to james river
an now we are in About ten mils
of petersburg right in the wods
Mother tell Brother William an Brother
Johnson houdy for me and that I could
give all that I possess to be with
them to stay I hope some one will
take my place soon well I must
close hoping to here from you soon
I still remain your son untell death
John W. Williams
[added in top margin]
direct your Letters to petersburg I reckon it will be the safest place untel you here that we have moved John