Chapins Farm near Richmond Sunday oct 30th 1864
Dear wife
I Recieved your letter yesterday date Sunday oct
23rd and a strip of paper dated monday the 24th and I got a letter
from James Huchison yesterday allso with two sheets of paper and four
post stamps for which I am verry much obliged you said you was
sick and had dug potatoes all day the day Before now mimy you know as well
as can Be that you cant stand it to dig them potatoes and what is the
use of working when you know it will make you sick I dont Expect
to get Rich Soldiering nor I dont Expect you to kill your self while
I am gone all I ask is to Be spared to get Home as Sound as I came
away the Bounty is no object if the works are all stoped you can
get some Boddy to dig them potatoes and if you Haint got the money
to pay them Borrow it from Some of the neighbors and when I come
Home I will Straighten it up if Rachel Pace sayes anny more to
you about them Reciepts just tell Her to kiss your ass and
mind Her own Business when I got them Reciepts Hugh conor
took Bill Blacks up to Him and I suppose andrew wrote Home
that connor Had forged them for He is Such a fool He dont
Know anny Better you said you would By a cow of[f] J H Snyder
Hiram cosner [1] sayes His wife Has got a good cow to sell six years
old you must doctor the children up and get there pictures taken
and youres and send on Right away direct By the way of
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By the way of washington or Fortress Monroe either I guess there is
no difference and them other things I sent for you can send Right
away and either way you please I got that letter By the way of fortress
monroe and told you so in an other letter well mimy I will give
you a discription of our movements for a fiew dayes past on the
night of the 26 th just after dark there came orders for us to draw five
days Rations and take down tents pack Knapsacks and leave every
thing in the captains tent Except your Haversack and canteen of water
and gum Blanket and your gun and fifty Rounds of amunition
and Be Ready to march at a moments notice so we was up all night
getting Ready and on the morning of the 27th at daylight we fell
in and marched with the Rest of the 10th corps off to the Right
and our side of our Breastworkes and our to find the Johnes
we marched on 2 or 3 miles until we came to wilsons plantation
and there we found one part of our corps drawn up in line of
Battle and our Regiment was marched up about twenty Rods in
the Rear and formed in a second line of Battle and there was
other troops marched up and a third line formed in our
Rear then we was orderd to load at will and after we was
loaded we was orderd forward one line to follow the other
we advanced acrost the field near the woods and was halted and then
there was Skirmishers Sent out through the woods to feel for
the Johnes and it wasent long Before we Herd the guns Begin [2]
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of Being Shifted about a litte from Right to the left and about 2 oclock
in the afternoon the fireing Became general all along the whole line and
there came an order for 4 or our campanys to be moved to the Right to
Reinforce the men that was under fire there then our major took company
A B & G of our Regiment and Hurried us off to the Right we marched
about a mile and was orderd to Halt and lay down flat on our faces
and there we lay about a Half Hour the Rain comeing down on us and
the bullets whistleing over our Heads then the ninth Main Regiment
lay about 250 yards ahead of us was orderd to fix Beyonets and charge
a fort and as soon as they fixed Beyonetts we was orderd to
d the Same and our major Said that Main Regiment was
going to charge a fort and we was to follow and support them
So up we got and there was a fiew of the 13th indianna went
ahead as skirmishers the ninth Main followed and we followed
them we caharged acrost an open field with Beyonets fixed and
over old breastwork and the Shells flew around us in Every
direction and just as we crossed the old Breastwork there was
a shell struck the ground and Bursted Right under the feet of
the Boys of company A and they got off pretty luckey for there
was one or two men wounded was all and on we went until we came
to the woods and as soon as the ninth Main got inside of the
woods they Broke and came Runing Back in every direction
But we halted them and wouldent let a man of them through
our lines then we was orderd to Halt and lay flat on the
ground we lay a fiew moments and the grape and canister
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flew over our Heads til it made everything Rattle again I tell you
it took the tree tops off like nothing then our major orderd us
to fall Back [??????] and form in line he Said if
that Main Regiment couldent go no farther we could and
He would take that fort with us four companeys and about
the time we was Ready to charge through the woods the
indianny Boys came Running Back and one of there lieutenants
told our major not ot take our men in there for it was imposible
to take them works so our major said he would wit for
orders and soon our colonel came up and said stay where
you are so we stood still and soon night set in and as
soon as it got dark we was orderd to about face and marched
quietly away then they march us Back about a mile and
Halted us in a cornfield and told us that would Be our quar
ters for the night and a Bad old quarters it was to for it
Rained all night and the mud was shoe soul deep we Raped
our gum Blankets around us and layed down But when
the water Began to Run on Between the corn hilles a little
two much we had to get up and stand up and walk
around all night But morning came and I can tell you all
the particulars But we lay there until the afternoon of the 28
and then we was marched Back to camp pretty well tiard
out I suppose our move was to draw the Rebbles attention
this way so grant could give them a little drubbin
Some where else write soon Harrison Nesbitt