Egbert1

Transcription: 

Beverly [1] April 21 1865
Dere Mother Brother & sisters
I now take my pen in
Hand to let you Know that I ame well at
present and Hope this may find you in the same
state of Helth  this is the greatest country I ever
was in fore it raines seven days out of a week day before
yester day was the finist day we Have had since we
was out I think   the reason was becaus the president
was put under the ground thier was a great meny
sad Hearts Here it seamend more like sunday then
enny other day I have seen since I Have bin out
and I think thier is some Just around Here that
rejoiced over it But it came to late fore the Rebs
is played out and if you should here tell of us being
on the home road in about three weeks you should
not be surprised for things look very favarable Here
we have got atelagraph line direct from washington
thier was too Rigaments on the road to this place but
they Have bin ourderd back  if it would of come on we
would of had to leve fore some other place but since
they Have turned back thier is arumor that we will
move prety soon and the cornel of our rigament sayes if
we did move it would be towards Harrisburg and onced
we get thier again we will be home prety soon
the boys is all in great glee Here  the whole talk
is about Home but you must not be to shure fore
[page 2]
things mite tak adifferent turn but the news is here its
frome washington that Lee and Johnson have bothe
surrenderd to grant with thier whole force and if that
is so they are all played out fore they are the main stay
of the southern confedercy  I think I will hafto to come
to a close fore to night as I will get all ove Jacob and
Frances and Rulins conversation in it for Jake is laying on
the table France is setting on the carpet Reulin is
on the soaffe and John yunt is over the rive awatching
the cattle he has bin there 2 days and he has six days
to stay yet but that is avery nice Jobe for they Have
nothing to do in the daytime and at night  he has too
hours to watch and then he can rest four hours before
he comes on trick again  Rees Harris is well and
in good spirits  the boys is all lively except georg
[ar?]kings and Ben snyder and they are ageting better
thier was a report Here that samiel Ervin was ded but
I can not say how true it is fore when we left
greenspring they sent him to cumberland to the Hospitle
he Had the arsipleas [2] in his face  young Huth was left
thier to  all the rest is well  Well mother they say the last provision train Has came in here fore us and when
they started back some of the waggons stoped at the
camp and wanted all ove our extry baggage to take to
Webster that is the place where we take the cars
and we all sent our overcoats and after they wer gone
the ordly [3] said they was to be expressed Home and if
they went home you can go to Isack Burnimand and
get mine you will find my name rite under the
[page 3]
the cape  I dont know wether they went futher then
webster or not but you can go and see and if they do
come you will have something to pay  You said you did
[not?] know what to do with daniel  well he can do as he pleases
but if I had his schanes I would try and lern a trade of some
Kind fore He can see fore himself now what dependance their
is to be placed on the [canall?] it may not be [fixed?] ontill
September and I dont supopose thier is much work in town
that he can do  If I wer you I would try and perseuade Him
to go to atraid and if he wont do that I would send him to
school and if he played truant as he did last winter I
would bind him out ontill he was twenty one  you can
reed this To Him but I would not Bind Him to [everybody?]
Well mother lydia has bin very unfortnet since I came away
it was avery hard stroke for Her but I Hope she will try and
beare up under it  mag was saying that the boys wanted you
to come over and stay with lydia  well I have nothing to say
as regards to that  you can do as you pleas ove corse I hate
to see you go of corse it is not like as if you was agoing out of
town Well I supspose maggie is home by this time and thier
is Too or three letters on the road that will come to [milton?]
You can open them if you like but thier is nothing in
them of enny acount and maybe she would not like it
and when you get this and red you can send it to her
when you write let me know all about our county thier is 
but one person in the whole company that has got enny
word of hisan [4] and that was Joseph Hausel and let me Know
what [Wheat?] & [stage?] is adoing and who is agoing to take
the Brewery and all the news that is a going on in
[page 4]
general  Thier was a man came in to our lines yester day about
Eleven Oclock and he tock the oath of alegiance and then
he had the privleges of Running aroun and so last night
he was found out by the pickets and they arested him
and the Blacksmith of Beverley says he is pirsonly acuainted
with him and he sayes it is general Rosser [5] and our
folks Telagraphed to clarksburg to see what we should do
with him and they say we should take care of Him so
they put him in Jail but he denys of being the man
but he takes it very cool  if it should be him it will
go hard with him for he was the man that captured
too Rigaments here in this camp and he used them
very Rough  Well we have Just came in from drilling  we
must drill two hours in the foornoon and 1 in afternoon and
then at five Oclock we came out on dress parade and so
you see we have not much time to write but I will
try to finish this now Reves and the two middletons and murphy
and acouply more is in our tent and we caul it the tigers
den  Well I will bring my letter to aclose fore this time
give my best Respects to sally Vandergrift and tiltons
and all who inquire after me  tell McCleery to Keep
my mony ontill I see Him  that is if you
folks can get along without it  if not use
what you want  Yours Truly Rees Harris Egbert
I wrote to mag
to send me five Direct Your letter Rees. H. Egbat
dollars but dont Washington D.C. 74 Rig P.V
let Her put more than Company E in care of
one in one letter captin W. H. Wolf [6]

Footnotes: 
  1. Beverly, Randolph County, West Virginia
  2. arsipleas = erysipelas
  3. hisan = his
  4. orderly sergeant
  5. Confederate Gen. Thomas Rosser. The man was not Rosser.
  6. Capt. William H. Wolf
Date: 
April 21, 1865

Author(s)

Unit: 
Co. E, 74th Pennsylvania Infantry
Residence (County): 
Northumberland County, PA

Recipient(s)

Name Variant: 
“Dere Mother Brother & sisters”
Residence (County): 
Northumberland County, PA

From

From State: 
Virginia
From Municipality: 
From County: 
Randolph

To

To State: 
Pennsylvania
To Municipality: 
To County: 
Northumberland

Transcription/Proofing Info

Transcriber: 
William McDermott
Transcription Date: 
September, 2013
Proofer: 
M. Ellis

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