Camp near Gaines mills
June the 9th 1864
Dear sisters I seat my self this morn
ing to respond to your kind letter
Which i hav Just received dated June
the first I Was truly glad to hear from
you and that you ar all Well this lieves
me and James alewine both Well
and I hope When thes few lines reaches
your hand it my find you all Wel
I hav not herd a Word from andrew
since he Was Wounded I am very uneasy a
bout him but I hope that he is doing
better than We think for if eney of you
hears from him pleas let me no and
let know how he is I Was very sory
to hear of the death of D Clealand and Jane
Millford and James Crowther their has been
a meney poor fellow fell in the last 40 days to
rise no more their is not a day no not a
hour but their is som one falls
[page 2]
We hav bin fighting or skirmish
ing every day since the sixth of may
We ar in line of battle now We hav bin
in line of battle ever since the fight com
menced We ar about three hundred yards
from the yanks We keep up constant
fireing at them I went out on picket
yisterday We was in about 75 yards
of the yankees breast works I tell you
We had to ly low fer every time they
us poke our heads up they Wold Shoot at
us but We retirnd the same compliment
With them they haff to ly as low as We do
their is not a minute in a day but their
is a bullet flying over our head I
long to see the day When this fight is
over so We can get som Rest We half
to be up half the knight ever knight
to Watch for the yankees I think that
their Wil be a fight som Wher on the lines
in a day or tow for We cant
[page 3]
Stay so close to geather With fighting
We hav bin in six or eight battles
Since i left home our loss has bin light
in the most of the fights We lost ten out
our company J S gebirt was Wounded day
before yisterday in the head slightly
I believ I named all the rest my other let
ters We hav bin sucessful in every in
gagement We hav kild and Wounded
five to one if they continue to fight
us be hind our brast Works We Wil Whin
them ever time We hav got the 20th
Regment in our bregaid it has teelve
hundred men in it their is a good
meney men in it that I know sum I
James Ashley he is in it We Stan in
great need of officers in our regment
their has bin so many kild and wounded
and them that is hear is playing out
of it som of them wil half to off this
[strips?] soon as this fight is over
for coward[ice?]
[page 4]
I wont you and Sarah to rite often and
give me al the news that is Stiring i Wont
to no if you hav herd eneything from fen
toon, Sarah I want to no how you and
docktor [little?] makes it [now?] I Wold
like to no What has be com of my oald
[Shony?] if she is still living yet I Wold
like very much to hear from miss
Lucinda and all the rest of girls
I Want som of you to rite every to
weaks if you can I hav not got but
too letters from home since I left hom
tell mary a Boyd I Wil rite to her be
for long When I rite one I rite to all of you
I hav not had the chance to rite as often as Wold
hav don We ar geting plenty eat now we get beef
corn meal coffee, shugar i hav four in my mess
they ar all wel I must bring my
a close by saying rite soon nothing more at
present But remains your affectionate Brother
D Boyd to Sarah Boyd