1861
Viana Virgina Augest the 4th
Dear Brother & Sister I wonst mor tak
the oppertuny off Writing you a Few lins
To Let you know that we ar as well as Com[mon]
all tho i hav not been Well for the last three
or for Days hooping When this few lins coms
to hand tha Ma find you all in Joying the
same Good blessing well i hav not Got iny
news to rit to you now as i reckon you hav herd
All about the figt we send father A letter that
Staid All A bout it we have A Grat Deal
off sickness hir Jams Alewine is sick
he has Got the Measels & so has Jams simp
son & henry Hamton and of Grat Miney outhers
i expect to tak them for i Sleep with them
every knight it is enuf to put iney
Buddy out off hart to bee sick in Camp for
tha cant Get iney thing tha want
tha Ar not tend too tha ar A Bout
half off Hester Compna sick well Mary [1]
we hav not had nary nother fight sins the
Sunday fight onley i larn that tha was
a Battle at falts Chruch A few Mils from
ous I Did not larn much A bout it onley
we gand the victory it was A Great
ex citment her the day off the fight when
Canon Balls & Bum Shels was falling all
A Round ous tha was one Shel bused A bout
fifteen steps froom Mee tha Cut the lims off
the trees over our heds and the Balls fell
all around ous and never tuch a man tha
com menst Firing at ous about 9 oClock
in the Morning and hil on til 4 in the eavning
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then tha Bee Gan to retreat then we
all took after them But cood not over tak
them tha throd down thar guns Blakets nap-
sacks and every thing tha had we folerd
them till A 9 o clock in the night then we
went Back to our Brest work tierd down with
out iney thing to eat all that day or nit
and it was raning very hard and we had to
li down on the wet grond and the nixt morning
we got up and stared in the Dubble quick
for about for mils then we stoped and got sum
thing to eat then we stared agen and March
A Bout 15 or 16 Mils the men was all Brok
down tha la down all a long the rod & when
when we stopt we all la down and resed i
never was as ni Brok down in my life we
ar Still at the same plas wher we stopt at a
plase cold viania i Doe not no how long we wi
ll stay her i wold Be Glad if tha wod mak
pease for i tell you we hav seen a hard time
of it well Fenton and Mary you think you
se A hard time But i tell you you see
A plasier to what i Doo for i no you git anuf
to eat & a Bed to sleep on that is what i ne
ver hav saw sins i left home well Mary we
have send father A news paper he will git
it all year i wont you to tell him to writ
to ous as soon as he Can and tel ous Wher he has
Got it yet or not i will hav to Com to A
Close for the wont off sumthing to rit So writ
To Mee as soon as you can for i wod lik to
her from home every weak giv my Best Respects to
all the frinds R P Boyd to Fenton and Mary Jane Hall