August the 26th 1862 Camp Near hanover station
            Va              Deare cosin I take the present oper
tunity ove droping you a feu lines to let you noe that
I am well as comon & truley hoping this will come Safe to
hand & find you injoying the Same like blesings I Received
your kind leter that was Rote on the 20th it come to hand 24th
I was truley glad to heare from you & to find that you
was well will I have noe neus to Rite more than you have
herd or will heare be four this comes to hand will we hav
just got in from skermishing we have bin out 2 days &
one night we went out for a fight this morning but had
to draw back we had a bout 12 hundred caverley & noe
in fintrey we had 5 field peaces the Enemeys
force was some 10 thousand strong we are going to give them
a nother triel to morrow Some body will git hurt or
Skerd Will we have Rit Smart ove fun in Scoutin a
bout we went out at whit oak on the 20th got in
a mung the yankeys we got 5 prisners & 9 horses & 1 wagon
the 21st we got 18 prisners 4 horses & one amblens & mule I wish you cold
ove seed them Run one of our men kild a leutenant Col & we wounded
2 others & one hors non ove the other companeys got a shoot we Run
them awl off & then we left we come back to Richmond
& staid one night & then left for hanover court hous 25 miles
North East ove Rich we Staid there one night & then had to moov
15 miles a gain & when we got ther we moove twice the same
day we are 50 miles North ove Richmond now & going to moov
60 miles futher to morrow up to culpeper court hous
will thi is the best grain cuntry hear wher we are I Ever
saw I wish you woold come out & Stay a while with us
[page 2]
& See the cuntry & the girls ther is some ove the nices sort
out hear & tha like the South careolina beter than aney other boys
ther was 3 ove the preteys girls come out to the Road to see us
the other day & sed tha waunted to Shak hands with S C [boe?]
tha sed that tha had bin bound doun by the yankeys but
tha had got out ove hart but we have them free from the
yankeys now the neus has just come we have
got old Burnsids a prisner & 15000 prisners I doant noe how
true it is will I was glad to find that you was clear
ov the martial law at charston in looking over
your leter I was truley Sorery to find the Death ove
John nicol will you must come out & see som
ove the d d yankeys that you spoak ove will
when you git that privet Dispatch let me heare
the neus will I waunt to Rit to me when you
herd from my folks for I caint git noe word from
them sinc R C Dill come to camps carol ses
to tel you that he woold be glad to be in china [1]
pin & tak some brandy with you will when
you Rite home tel them that I am well
it is Dark & I must stop Riting I waunt
you to Rite to me soon & let me heare
from you give me awl the neus I Remain your frend
til Death Rite to me as sone as this comes to hand
Direct your leters to Richmond

J W Waters to
W P Z F Neaves