In Front of Peatersburge

June 17th [1864]

Dear Friends at Home

I take
this opertunity to write
to you to let you no that
I am well and to let you
no whare I am I wrote in
my letter of the 15th that
I was in the hospital I
joined the regt yesterday
I wrote that you nead not
write till you heard from
me you can direct your
letter the same as allways
the regt looks pretty small
thare is one hundred and
one guns in the regt our
forces had a heavy fight
last night our brigade
was not in wee was held
as reserve but the
bullets came all around
[page 2]
around us what success
they had on the left I do not
know but wee withdrew
our forces on the right about
eleven oclock it was so
smokey and dirty that
wee could not see but a
short distance ahead
the niggars charged and
took one fort with nine
guns night before last
and fifteen hundred prisnors
wee was within two miles
if petersburge last night
we are lying in the edge of
a peice of woods now wating
to reinforce enny poin whare
wee are needed the most
I have not received enny letters
from home in along time I
received one from charles
last night dated the 9th
the sergt mailed my letters
[page 3]
to the hospital but I did
not receive them horner
is well and tough as ever
wee are all raged lousey
and nasty evry time that
wee stop thare will hav
about one third of the
men strip of[f] thier
shirts and look for lice
I took mine off yesterday
and fownd them pretty
plenty they are all as bad
officers as well as men
george is tough and hardy
wee all looking anxiously
for the time when wee
will be out of this army
only three month and three
days longer then I will
be a free man no longer
a slave under a master
that wares postage stamps
on his shoulders caled
[page 4]
officers I like the service
well enough but I do not
like to be a slave under
a master wee have not had
enny mail for some time
but expect one to day wee
got papers this morning
of the fifteenth but
no newse of enny importance

A Holcomb