Camp at Thoroughfare Gap Va
July 23rd 1863

My Dear Wife
It is with
pleasure that I now sit down to
write you a few lines to let you
know that I am well and hope
these few lines will find you in the
same state of health I recd a letter
from you the other day it was daited
July 6th I was glad to hear from
you and to hear that you was
all well I was surprised to hear of
Alzadys marring Oren &
well I hope they will live happy..
do you know that we do not
think much of the Soldiers Aide
Society not becaus the folks and home
do not mean well by it but it is
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worse than throwing money away of
all our boys that has been in the Hospi
tal I do not think any of them got
any thing that was sent in by the
soldiers aide society it is used
up by the pursons that have charge
of the hospitals so I have heard
but it may be falce I never have
been sick in the hospital so I do not
know but if it does go to the sick
there cant be to much done
I will try and give
you a short account of our
doings sence we left Alexandria
June 14th left Alexandria marched to
Union mills and encamped for the
night June 15th marched early and
arived at Aldie about three O clock
and went into camp the regt had
a fight here yesterday there was three
killed and sevral wounded amoung
them Major Stanhope June 19
marched early came up to the
[page3]
rebles at Middleburgh fought
them all day and went on picket
at night.. June 20th it
rained very hard last night
it is all quiet along the line
today the reble pickets are in
sight.. June 21st this is a day that
none of us will ever forget early in
the morning there was Infantry &
more artilery came up and we
attacted the rebles and they commenced
to fall back but not without contesting
for the ground we gained we drove them
till we came to Goose Creek where they
made a stand our regt was brought
up in line of battle to the top of a
hill when the reble Artilery comenced
to throwe shell and grape at us &
there sharp sharpshooters to poure
a very severe fire into us we see
we could not charge the battery
for the creek was to cross and
we would have several stone
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fences and a bridge to cross
so we were ordered off the hill
here is where Lester Blood was
killed.. our artillery opened on
the rebs when they fired at us
and knocked it galley west
we then crossed the creek at
an other place and the rebles
fell back to Upperville where they
again gave us battle we did
not wait for our artiley to
come up but charged the
we charged about a mile over
very rough ground where it
was not rough it was soft
when we came up to the rebles
they was in the upper end of
the town and we could not
get at them for a stone wall
but we put up our sabres and
drew our revolvers and soon
cleared them out of that they
left four dead where we first met
them
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we then followed them through town and
just as the Regt was crossing a creek the
Gen came up and ordered capt
Northway to charge them they having
made another stand in the road
the reason the Gen ordered capt Nor
to charge was the rest of the regt was
ahead of us and had tuned off
into a field well on we went
but was not suported as promised
and had to fall back they started
to run but some one of their Officers
told them not to run for there was
not but about fifteen or twenty
of us so they turned and we had
to get back we lost five prisoners
fore of them wounded one of the fataly
and there was four of them that got
out wounded after that charge
Gen Killpatrick said we should
be relieved for we had been under
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all day so we went into camp
for the night June 22nd
we fell back to Aldie June 23rd
we lay in camp all day but
go orders just at night got
orders to be ready to march
June 24th nothing of importance
June 25 our Squadron went to
landmark after some of Col
Duffies men that was wounded
after we got back got orders
to go to Fairfax court House
got there about 11 O clock at night
it was raining very hard
June 26th marched back to
Aldie and found the troops
there just moving so we marched
to Leesburgh where we encamped
for the night
I havent time now to
finish this but will do it in
the morning but I will send
this along now and the rest
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when I get it wrote
I wish you would write
often for I do not get but
few letters from you now
I will write as often as
I can I suppose Mort
Baker is at home I hope
so if you see him tell him
we are all well
Nothing more at this time
yours as ever
T M Covert