Green spring run West VA
Aprile 2/ 65
Dear Neoma & Jane it is with
much plesher I take my pencel
to right you a fiew lines to day
to let you know that I am well
I am out on picket to day [????]
up the railroad Whare the guriles
atacked the railroad trane last
thursday night a bout 50 of them
they tore up 1 or 2 rales on the 1
side of the track next to the [bank?]
frum the river the potomick &
the lockemotive run off & stopped
& a lot of them rushed in with
their revolvers [??????????????] [1]
demanded all of there money
& coats boots & hatts they got
from 1 man [15?] thousand dollars
& from another 1 3 thousand
all in goald & I doant know
how much in paper & one of
[page 2]
our quarter master surgents
th took prisener depredation was done a bout
7 o clock Pm & we got word of
it a bout half past eight & their
was a bout 5 companyes of us
sent after & to try & ho[?] them
our company was sent to spring
field a bout 9 miles & from that to
frankford 8 miles & from that to
patersons crick at the railroad
& from that home a bout 50 miles
We had to start in a thunder storm
with our over coats on & it rayned very
hard it wett our over coats thrue & mad
them very heavy & the roads was a
bout as bad as they could gett & we
waded thrue cricks & streems that
night a bout 30 times & ofton it run
over our boots it was the hardest
& most disagreeble tramp I ever
had & it was twelve oclock the next
day before we got a bite to eat &
we was very hungry & tired we lo[??]
evry s[tept?] but we dident [come?]
[page 3]
up with them they was cavelry
men & they could go faster than
we could they came down out
of the mounten & I woodent be sur
prised that they stay in the mounten
some place & I believe that some f
them or some of the sittidens here
we took 1 man & fetched him doun to
pattersons crick & handed him over to
some of the officers & they exemened
him & he was a sitizen & they made
him sware a legienc & let him go
& some of the men that was robed says he
looks like the first man that entred
the cars & I beleave likely he was
our boys captured 1 to day The orders
is give to us to not halt any man that
comes down our of the mounten but
to shoot him ded & we intend to
do so Our company is cracked up
by the officers to be the best company
that is sined to to this regiment &
[page 4]
& the officers here wood like to
ceep us here but as soon as
one more company comes to our
regiment it will be organised & we
ar a going to go to cumberland
to do gard duty about town We have
Good quarters in camp We have a fire
place in it & a bunk made of poles
& a lot of pitch pine tops put on & our
gum blanketts over that & we can sleep
comfortible The nuse from Gen Grant
& the front is favourable & I think
the war cant last much longer
that bile that was on my cheek bone
is getting better but it is running some
yet I feel stought & harty the
rashens isent quite as much as
I wood like to have but I can live
purty well on it is I havent to much
marching to do our boys boys is all
well & look well S C Brown is at cum
berland yet I am very ancious to get
a letter from home there hasent 1 of us got
a letter yet from home except S. Crawford
he got 1 last eavening the nex letter you
right right 2 sheetts a bout the purticklers
that I wanted to know in my first letter
I rote to you from camp curten I ex[p]ect
to get 1 or 2 from you answaring my last letters
I dont expect to get the first letter you rote me
J W Compton
[page 5]
I will right you a fiew more lines
after righting you a hole sheett I am
rihting this letter when I am releaved
from pickett & setting on my flanks
on the grown I am on picket 2 hours
& off 6 to day but to night I supose
I will be on 2 & off 4 on till morning
answer this letter as soon as you get
this letter & it can Gett here perhaps
before we may leave But send them
here From your best friend in
this world but I hpe you will trust
to a Better friend for your soles welfare
& be a faithful christien & live hapy
& pray that we may soon anabled to
return home to our famelys
We feel in the best of spirits on the
a count that I think that the war
will soon be over & I doant fell a
fraind of our enemyes here for I feel that
I am on the Lords side & I trust to
him for my protection I must soon
close I hefto right to you to day on
the account that I have more time
then I haf had We have been cep
[page 6]
very throug every day duing duty
or cerying wood we have to cery wood
a bout ¾ of a mile at camp

John W. Compton
Co B. 74th Regt. P.V
Green Spring run
West virginia
In care capt John G. Wilson

April 3 /65
We have marching
orders & some says that
we go to beverly
we have evry thing
ready packed
send your letter still to
green spring run [??]
further orders