Camp Near Fatmought Va
May the 24th 1862
Dear Father and mother Sisters and
Brothers, I now take my pen in hand to inform
you all that I am well at pesent tim and
I hope that theas few lines will find you all well
my health is good and has been for this Long time and So
hope it may Keep on So for to be sick in the army is not
a very Pleasant thing now in fact it is never pleasand at
home or A Brod I do not now what is the Reason that
you do not write ot me I am beging to feel like if you
had forgoten me now for I cant get A Letter from you –
Eny more I have been Looking for A Letter for the last 3
weeks and have not got Eny and So I do not know
what is Rong that you do not write I think that you
do not care So you get to hear from me that is all but
you do not think that I am as Ancious to hear from
you as you are from me although I Look for A Letter
this week coming and if I do not get One I will do
as you have to me not write and then you will find
out how it goes. So I hope that you will try and write
Every two weeks at Least more then that I do not ask
of Eney one I do not think that thare is Enyone in
the army that writes oftener then I do to my friends So
I do not want you to think hard of me for writing so
for I do not know if my money has got home Safe or
not So I will Stop on this question and comence
on A nother one that is to tell you to turn over
[page 2]
the weather is getting very warm hear at p[r]esent time and
it Rains so much when it commences it does hardly now
when to quit for it has Rained for Two weeks Right A
Long and when it quit it was a Bout 3 weeks till it would
Rain a gain and then it gets So hot that the Sun does nerly
burn a Boddy up but I think we can stand the heat if we
do not get to much sickness a mong us. there is a Large
number sick now and there has 6 died out of our company
we are a bout 10 miles from Richmond and we are a going
to march on mondy or Tuesday and we are agoing to
cross the Roppahamock River we have the Rail Road
Bridge done, and there has a bout 25 thousand crossed over
to day and there is a Large number to Cross before us get one
I do not think if there is Eny fight that the Reserve will get in
for there is so many Troops a head of us and if our men
haint strong A nough our division will hafto go in we
are all Redy for Eny thing tht is called on now our Dicision
is ancious for To get in a Litle fight but the trouble is the
Rebels can Run faster then we can and they burn all
the briges that we cant follow them fast general McClellen
is with in 7 ½ miles of Richmond and he made A Recon=
=naisence in A Balloon and he could See Richmond
and could Se the Position of the Rebels and Se if there was
many men there or not and general Hallack in
tennesee is whiping genrol beaur gard there the
that plase is called Corinths and beaurguard has By all
we can hear A Bout one hundred and fifity thousand
Troops there and our force is a bout the Same and so
I think our Side will come out victorious I hope the [mery?]
[page 3]
old general Scott Says that the Rebels are at thare Last now
and that this war will soon close I hope it may although
I am saddisfied to Serve my thre three years if I am neaded but
I think when we get Richmond and Corinth and Memphis
it will all be over we all Expect to march on to help
to take Richmond if we do not be to Late geff Davis Said
that the blood would hafto flow in the Street Before he would
Surrender the city but I do not think that there will be much
Blood Spilt for the Rebels are Living on half Rations now
for we have there Supplies cut off and they will Starve if
they do not give up and So I think that they will hafto com
to a close Soon one month more when you will all hear the
glorious news of the capitol of the C.S.A. being taken and
I hope to god, that the war may come to a close at that Same time
we had a review yesterday and we was Reviewed By the
Presiden Lincoln and the Secritary of war Stanton By names
there was a bout 32 Shots fired by the canon for a Salut when
the President Came on the Review ground it was a nice Sight
to hear the troops give him three Rousing Cheers he wrode a
common cavalry hors and he was dressed in very Poor clothes
if I had not now him I would have thought he was a cittyzen
he wrode a long in front with the general [Mcdowl?] with his old
Stove pipe hat in his hand and his Long nose sticking
out before him the President Said that we all Looked well and
he wanted us to move on to wards Richmond Michal Skelly
is in the Hospitol now but I think he will get well Soon Thomas
Dunn is well we do not drill Enny more [???] for we
are well a nough Drilled and So we are glad for those warm
Days are not very good for us and the Doctor would not Let them
[page 4]
Drill us for he said that it is hard A nough on the men to
march with out drilling we are camped on a Small
hill side and in the woods in the bargin but that is what we
all Like for we have the wood handy for we hafto do our own
cooking and it would do you good to See us in the morning
when we are cooking to See So many Little fires at one compn
ny but we have nothing more to Do then Just cook and to
wash I am writing this Letter by candle Light and I have
answerd Rollcall and the brass Bands Playing and it cheers us up
that we feel Like fighting and you ought to hear our
Division cheer when there is a victory gained the Brass Bands
Plays the Starspangled Banner and then A Bout 15 thos
sand hollow it makes all the woods ring for a few
minutes, So I hope that you all will keep up [ceeping?]
good courage and I hope you will all get to Se your
Friend Philip if god spares my Life when I do pray for him
to Keep me Safe I do not for get my prayers and
I hope my Prayer will be good so many a time I have
Been on Guard when I would walk my beat and
Say My Prayers and So I think I will Close for it is
all most 10’oclock when you write tell me all the news
and tell me how the times are So I will Close in hopes
that you will not for get to write Soon and give my
Best Respects to all inquiring friends So nothing more at
pesant time but I Remain your Affectionate Brother tell
Death Philip a. Lantzy To Joseph Lantzy and all
Direct as you did all of your Letters to washington D. C.
I want you to [kip all of?] my leters if you Can
So good By to all )