[1] pleas sent me a fine Comb in your next letter

Camp near Petersburg Va July 3th 1864
Dear Mother
I received your kind and wellcom letter a fiew
days ago and was verry glad to hear from you
onst more and to hear that you are still
enjoying good health and I hope you yay enjoy good
health and pleasure while you live for I
would be sorry to hear of you being sick
there hand agreadeal of news here at presant the
army is still in the old position all but our
Corps we have been out on a raid with our
Cavelry about ten miles from here at
a railroad station on the Weldon and
Petersburg. R.R. we stayed there one day and
distroyed all the railroad we could get to
then returned again near to our old position
probably a half mile more left we are
campe in a fine shadey Grove and are
verry comfortable now also we know not
what moments we haf to march our lines
here where we are is probaly three miles
from ours but some of the rest of the
[page 2]
Corps are in verry clost quarters and are
fireing at each other day and night
we have had verry warm weather for the
last two weeks and the ground is driedout
like hot ashes the soil here is all sand
and where there is much travelling on it
it gets Just like slacked lime we
havent had any rain enough to weten the
dust for over a month and water there
is none for many miles here on the
serface of the earth but allmost any
plais by digging two or three feet we
find verry good water we are about five
miles from Petersburg you requestet me
to tell you how long I had to stay yacht
I am not fully aware of that but I
think I haf to serve three years if the
war lasts that long but I dont think
it will I think this campain will
wind it up Dear Mother pray for me
and I will pray for you so no more at
presant write soon again I remain your affectionate
son Daniel Faust I am well at presant