Camp Harper Sunday
July 19th
Dear brother I take the present opertun
ty of dropping you afiew lines for
the first time this Evening is a little
more quite owing to it being Sunday
To day we had preaching to day
By the Chaplain at 9 oclcock A M after
preaching there was Inspecktion of
arms we had to have our Guns as
bright as a dollar and our Cartrid[ge]
boxes burshed up after dinner
I went our to see the Breast works
on the left of Gettysburg In some
places the Trees are Shot dead
with musketry there was no
Artillery firing it is in the
midle of the woods in large tim[?]
and some of the Bullets was
aimed 25 feet high knap Sacks
haver Sacks canteens cartridge box[es]
[page 2]
was Strewen all along the
line of Breast works Today
I got Some Rasberries and black
berries they tasted quit good I
Seen plenty of dead horses to day
laying along the Baltimore pike
We gave a pleasant place to
Camo there is quite a number
of Rebs and dead horse laying
on the Battle field but it dose
not cause any Stench in our camp
Every evening we have dress parade
there is a Brassband an 2 feifs
3 tennor drums In our Regiment
they play every day in the Evening
yesterday we had to Carry Rebs
that was wounded in the late
fight out of the ambilanses
and put them in to the Cars
Som of them had their arms
taken off and some had their
legs taken off Some of them
looke verry dirty and Ragged
[page 3]
This evening we wer dis appoin
ted fer yesterday we got orders
to be redy to go to New York or Bal
timore So Company D made
big calculations but this morning
we got order to go to town for
fatgue duty. Some 25 of the
151th Regement are lay ing in
our camp among them are Jacob
Bey Zigler Snyder and Shi[?]eiy
of McFarlands lev there is a greate
eal of work to do here There is
a good eal of wheat to cut down
here yet Some fields are tramped
down so mutch that they will
never be worth Cutting Monday
morning this morning we got our
break fast by ½ past 6 oclock
we then march down to town
and from there to the Railroad
what we have to do yet I dont know
yet but I expect we have to load
wounded Rebs on the Cars and that
[page 4]
is not very plesant work to do
Well I Suppose you are getting along
with the Harvest very well at
home for my part I wold
rather Harvest than soldier the
way and kind of work we have
to do here There is a great eal of
Government propery here going to
[??????????????????????] it
full of Cloathing and other
equipments of all kinds We have
got some great times working
in camp we have got a frying
pan and a coffee pot that we got
on the Battle field fried Bread and
fried pitatoes is our favorite dish
we get Salted pork but it is so
Salty that we only use it in frying
potatoes and Bread some times
we get Fresh bread and fresh Beff
about 3 times a weak we have plenty
to eat if it was just cooke well
you can tell Lilie Eichman that I
got her Letter the other day and will
answer it soon I want you to
write soon and tell me all the news
for Lilies lette is the only one that
I got sinse I left Home J E Jamison
[added at top of page 1]
I will Send the directions
on another sheat your brother
John E Jamison
Give my love to all