Tarrevill VA Aug 2nd 1864              here we are again all in a hub bub we started last Sunday morning about three o clock frome the entren chments between Ritchmond and Retersburg marched down to Burmuder Hundredts and got aboard of a steam boat went down to Fortress Monroe then we started for Cheaspeak bay and up the Potomac to Washington and landed too day and marched to this place it is somewhat in the neighbourhood of Arlington Heights so it goes here to day and some whare else [page 2] to morrow we had a pretty good time the other day last thuresday I think it wase we got up thuresday morning about two O clock and got some breakfast and started for somewhare we marched to a place just on the north side of the James River called deep bottom our men went over thare the day before and had a fight drove the Rebs out of thair entrenchments and captured fore twenty pound parrot guns and the the rebbs retreated back about thre qu[ar]ters of a mile to the top of a hill and went to forty-          fieng themselves and sent [page 3] for reenforcements  Genrl Hancock wase in command he sent to Gen Butler for reenforcements this all happened before we went over thare and Butler sent our brigade as I said before we marched over over thare our Regt wase deateled for picket the first thing so we started out the right of the Regt went off we one way and the left another we are on the left the rebs picket saw us march out and thay thought we wase agoing to attack them so thay began to fire at us but thay did not hit eny boddy but the balls flew over our heads [page 4] good and thick  our picket had some little breast works throwed up to keep the balls off thair picket and ours wase about eighty rods apart we got behind them or past them in a hurry  then we went at it fired at every man we could see and we made them dodge every way thay did not show themselves much  when one did he got fired at  the next day we got relived the[y] wase some diserterters diserters come in in the night and said we killed three and wounded another and thay never hit one of us to hurt eny the[y] wase some of the boys got balls through thair cloths but thay killed one man the next day and wounded three or fore more in another regement if I had a good turkey riffle I think that I should made some of them hopped out of their hiden places we staid thare the next night and started off in the morning early and so that ended that scrape and here we are now what will turn up next is more than I can tell [added in margins of page 1] PS I shall have to close         soon      when you       write        direct          to          Washington             D.C             PS as I              am a               gitting                rether                 short of                   money                   I gess                    that I                    will have               still just about five dollars in your letter and send it along  dont have the letter registered for it will bee kept in the Post Ofice and I shant bee so up to get it let it [???] some as eny other letter Jairus