August 5th A D 1862
Camp Near Harisons Landing

Dear sister
This day afords me the pleasure of writing
a few lins to you I reseved your leter las nite a bout
eight oclock I reseved Isabells last week & one from
nancy They all found me well & I hope this may find
you in good helth this day is very war[m] but not as warm
as you think it is the sun is warm but thare is gernerlaly a cool
are a going well I expect you will like to know how I am geting
a long we have a good time this while we are out skouting a long
every other day we go out a bout ten mile out side of the pickets
I will give you a litle advise bild plenty of pens to put oup
your chickens gees and Duks and sheep a gen we get home for
we have got to taking what ever we see we bie seses [1] mony
for 5 cts for five dolars bills then pas them to the a mount
we get chickens and buter egges and milk I have paid a
dolar for a ruster $ 100 for two dosen of eggs & a dolar for
a pound of buter some times we pay for it and some
times take it with out paying but if we do pay it is
in richmond mony only cost ous 5 cts for 5 dolers I
have got some if the bigest meses of black burys and huckel
burys that I ever got in my life we was out one day a bout
ten miles and the huckelburys was that plenty the Cap told
ous to go and get burys I tel you we [???] a [???]
well nancy waile wanted me to let her know what we
got to eat I will let you what we draw hard bread
[page 2]
we got one days rashin of soft bread to day for the first
[time] since we left Fredriksburg pork or beef coffey shuger rise beans
potatoes onions cabage dried Apels malasoes this is a bout
what we draw now I will tel you what we take when we
get out turkeys chickens duks gees aples peaches plums
yong potatoes tomatoes and every thing we can find
well This is as good an idiey as I can give so I will drop
This we had not been in site of any of the rebels for sum
time on the thirtyeth we was out on picket and the
rebels brote a batery or a bout three baterys and got
at to throe shell over in our camp they cild a horse
in our squdron and wunded one man they cild seven horses
in the regt thar was a shell came and went thru to of
our tents went past our tent it was a loud time to they
got a few old sege guns planted then they soon routed
them thare was a house rite a cros the river and our men
went over the next day and the next evening the
house was in flames the house was worth five or
six thousend dolars since that we have a midling larg
forse over thare we have had a few litle fits over thare
but have gand every time yet thare was a fite yester
day and the rebels got whiped badly, thare was
some canading to day oup the river but I cant tel
whar it was or eny thing a bout it you wanted to
know a bout Lues biers he is at fortres Monroe
thare is for of our compnays thare he has been sick he
had the ague he was in the hosptal three weeks but
is going a bout a gen you wanted to know a bout
[page 3]
The 11 Regt I have wrote very litle a bout them for
a while the resen I knoed so litle I have been waching
the list of prisners I saw Lutinant Kane name but
redrik is cild I saw the list of the sick & wounded at
richmonden I saw now names that I knew but
G rothmire of Harper the later wonded in the sholder
them is all them to that I knew I herd that the
Col and boys was trying to make the best out of a bad
gob [= job] they are on an Island and are diging wells
in sted of river water and I herd that the Col was
drilling them a litle for exersise on the island you
spoke a bout Mr Gelleger coming to hear if I know any
a bout gorge I thout of writing to him but then I could give [no?]
satesfaction and I thout it was not worth while writing
you may tel them that it is thout that gorge is a prisner
tel priers that William is a prisner or that I cant
find out eny thing els oh but I would like to be
on the island a while to talk to them boys but I
cant get thare well I beleve Mrs Cranmore wanted to
know a bout Theo he was hear to day he is well
at the time of the fite he was sick he was at baltmore
and I beleve he told me he got back the las of July
he looks well and harty now the remander of the
11 th is just [handy?] guardin hosptals and [plases?] the[y?]
have a good time about [???] but it may not last
long I have told you a bout all the boys that I
know eny thing a bout I have not been to see the 103
for a long time [???] are cep so busy thare was a man
[page 4]
hear yesterday in the 103 Co b by the name of ranken I
was not hear and he left word for me to Come to
see him I cant think what ranken it is I never
knew eny but david ranken of sunbury and I did
not think that he was hear I will go to see him the first
time I can as he wanted to see me midling bad
I have not seen Hoon or Ward only onst since the
fite but they ant far a way we see Filandro Burten
every few days he is not well but is walking round
now a bout the war nuse I will write a litle you
the exitment is grate you tale of ous enduring hard
ships we are well of[f] by what the infantry is I have
not suferd much thar was for a bout three weeks
we had a hard time of it and a very hard time for
a bout ten days but that did not last long
Cavelry is more helthy then infantry we are of [Cam?]
and gets more pure are [2] and I wish I had a knew
knowen that William campbell was a going
to war I would have had him in this regt if
it would have cost me ten dolars but it is to late
now I wish him and all others good luck
that may in list you must pardon me for
not a short stop I must go on guard
nothing more at present but still
remane yours to deth
Isabell A Hamilton
I will
write
more Let all the rest see this
be fore
I [???]
[???] James G Hamilton