Camp near Richmond Va
August 14th 1862
My Dear wife
It is with pleasure
I seat myself to write you again
we left secessionville on last saturday
and came to charleston on sunday
we left there that night for va
on the Northeastern Rail Road
on monday evening we arrived at
Wilmington North Carolina there we
stoped imtill Tuesday 10 oclock then
we taken the Wilmington and
Weldon Rail Road we passed throu
-gh Goldsboro and got to Weldon that
night stoped there untill wednesday
7 oclock there we taken the Peters
-burg Road we got to Petersburg
that day about 12 oclock in the
evening we taken the Richmond
Road and arrived last night
at 10 oclock at the capital of the
Southern confederacy we are now
encamped near that place. it is
only two miles to the center of
the city from our camps
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you may think you have seen poor
lands but the lands in North
Carolina can beat any thing I ever
saw for sorry Jack Baughhman
has got better land than any
I saw in N. ca though there
is some very pretty Towns in
that state Wilmington is a very
fine looking place it is situated
on the cape fair River. Goldsboro
is the best looking place I saw
untill I got to Richmond I
passed through several villages
but have not time to mention
them now There is the finest
houses in Richmond that ever I
saw in my life I went this
morning and looked at the
Washington monument on the
citidel square it is a beautiful
peice of Architechture with Washing
ton mounted on his horse some twenty
feet from the ground
we came the whole rout with out
[page 3]
any accident hapening to any
one at all. I do not know how
long we will remain at this place
or where we will go from here
If I am spared to return
home I would not take no sum
for what I have seen
Dear Martha I do not want yow
to grieve on the acount of my
being so far from home for if
I had staid at secessionville
there would have been no chance
for me to have come home and
it is no worse now nor we are
in no more danger here either
I want you to take the best
care of your self and the
children you can and get
what yow want to use as long as
there is any thing on the place
to get it with and when I get
my pay if there is any chance
I will send to yow yow must
show the to Father and the girls
as I can write to but one this
[page 4]
time you must kiss Jimmy and
Ida for me I must close by
saying this leaves me well and
I hope it may find you the
children and Fathers family
all well also Johns people may
God bless yow all. your ever
affectionat husband
Joseph .A. Drummond
Direct your letters to
Richmon virginea Col Glovers
Regt Thompsons comp
PS
all the boys f[r]om the
Branch are well and doing
finely