Front Nere Petersburg va
Aug 6th 1864 Sunday Morning
Dear mother and Sister I take my pen in hand
this blesed morning to let you know that I Still
live and engoy the blesing of good helth I hope you ar
all well the wether is extreemely warm the Sun
Comes down the nere way but Still I dont know as
it is much warmer here than in Pa I thinke the
Sun is a litle warmer but I think there is more
Good breese here than a bout home we are bothered
with the flyes worse than the heat but if we had
to march furr there [???] it would be verry hard
on us the watter would be Scarse where there
is not wells we get watter by diging wells we have
a grait meny welles a bout here we have to
Sinck them from 12 to 20 feet deep there is no
[???] t[hey?] thrue a fiew men [???] dig [??] in [??] [1]
dayes or less if they trye the water is not very
Cold but I think it is holesome well I Suppose
you have hurd a bout Burnsides Blowing up the
Rebel fort on the 30th of July and Also of the Battle
that followed the fort was Blowed up by menes
of a tunnel being dug from our lines to under
[page 2]
the Rebel fort then a quantity of powder
plased in the tunel under the fort and
a match put to it to set it off which left
it in a mass of Ruins Some of our men Seen
it going up I was Sleeping or lying when it went
up but it did not take long for me to get a wake
the blowing up of the fort was the Signel for our
going to open and the rore was terific but I
need not Spend time trying to give you eny
account of it you purhaps will know as much
a bout it and the batle as I doo all though I looked
on while the fite was Raging or tryed to look
a part of the time it got very Smokey when the
Smoke Cleared a way a litle we Could See
the dead and wounded lying on the field
whare they had to ley till August 1st 2 dayes and
2 nites I ges that they had to ley there it was
a hard site well I suppose there will be
Soon a big Stir up there a bout the draft
that is to Come of[f] in September I suppose
there will Some more men have to leave
there familyes to Shift for them selves and
Come out to Soldier well I pitty those that
[page 3]
have familyes and have to leve them I
pity uncle James and Sam Rider but I think
they war drafted on the old Call and may pay
the Comutation money well I Suppose you will
be very uneasy a bout James but I Still hope that
he is not dead he mite not get liberty to write
it would be a glad hering to me to here that he
was at home a again but if he is dead I hope he is
beter of[f] than the Rest of us for my part I See
nothing in this world but trouble Some times
I feel all most tyered of life but Still there is
a nough of human nature left in me to try
to live as long as I Can in this unfriendly world
Some times I feele as though I was an exile
without home or friends but I hope I have a home
beyont the roling tide and a friend that I may
trust when all others prooven untrue to me
but let others do as they will as for mee I will
try to do my duty while life and reason
is [myun?] So help me God Well Mother
and Sister I am on gurd to day and pur haps
will Soon have to go on post [furly?] I feel
a kind of lone ness of Spirit this fiew days
[page 4]
that Coses me to not feel much for writing
So I will soon bring this to a Close hoping
you will excuse me for Sending a poor and
Crimpt leter before I Close I must Acnollage
the receipt of your leter of the 28th of July
in Answer to it I will just Say that I am
going to quit now if posible I done all I Could
before I left home to make a way for peese and
have done all I Can Since but its all no use
So now fix the mater between your selves
and the good Lord judge Between me
and the and Between us all if you have
eny thing beter to write to me you Can
Addres
John Hamilton
Co K 91 Regt P V
Washington D C
K
your Son and Brother
till deth
I have no Stamps if I Cant borrow I must send it with out