Fortress Monro va
May 6 1864
Dear sisters and brothers i now take the
oppurtunity of writing a few lines to you
hopeing they may find you in the
enjoyment of good health as they
leave me at presant i have Just
received your kind and welcom
letter date the forth and was
glad to hear from you i have
allso received margerets likeness
and think it a very good one
we went up the James rive the other
day to newport news but we came
down the next day we got there in
the night time and when we wakened
up in the morning we found our
selfs in among the ironclads which
consist of fore moniters and two iron
clad rams besides a fleet of gun
boats when we left the fort we
went aboard of the steamer
C P Smith and then we went
[page 2]
out in the bay and drew in to
the gun boat darling and from
there they made details for
gunboats artimes jenkins and
william vanhorn was among them
and then another gun boat took us
in tow and took us up whem we pas
ed the roanoak we put out out lights
and directley we came to a halt and
then there was two lanses [1] went
out boarded with sailors where they
went to i dont know about seven
oclock the next day the monitors and
the ram atlanta pased us going up
we then turned around and started
back on our way back we mett
over twenty transport loaded with
troops going up also thr batterys of
Artilery we also met the infantry
boys which left us here we knowed
it was them for they began to
hollar at us bobs heavy
look for news from this quarter
[page 3]
the steamer City of hudson we up yesterday
She had about a thousand Cruches on
board and a load of shot this is a
buisey time here the general has
gone up the James rive there had
been five million round of cartriges taken
from here it is like midsumer here
you say the 58 has been here i have
not saw any of them a great many
of them dont Come in to the landing
please excuse my bad writing for i
wrote it in a hurrry it is near drill
time i must now Close so no more
at present from your affectionate
brother Arthur Martin
Co G 3 penna
Artilery fortres
monro va

please write soon
please five my best respects to
all inquiring friends