General Hospital
1st Division
2nd Army Corps
Near Brooks Station
May 9th 1863
Dear Father and Mother & Sister
I take this oppertunity of writting
you a few lines to let you now how I am you wanted
to now wether I was sick a bed or not Now I
have not bin sick a bed a tall it is nothing
but a grumbler pain all the time and my boules
well up at nights so that I cant ware my
belts and catrege Box on me fore it hearts me
Well I ante near as bad as I was when i came hear
I am a good bit Better & it come on me by spels
you nead not be on easey now that I am out of danger
I got out of the fight by it any how but I wont
Tel the Docters now that I am any Better a tall
fore that wonte doo to let them now I am if they
aske me how I am it is always the same
But since the Battle commence I have bin helping to take
care of the wounded to wet their wounds for they
suffer a good bit there is one of the men In my
ward is getting his arme take off now and one
is going to get his finger taken off this afternoon their
is about 2 or 3 Hundred wounded hear the other-day
they sent a great many a way from hear and
I expect they send a lot away to morrow
I had 19 in my ward day before yesterday but
there is but 12 in it now so it is not so
harde on me now at first day it took 4
buckets of water in a hour to dress their
wounds that is not a small job I tell you
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a body so weak a cross my back as I am when I
get now it very nie kill me to get up a gain
well I cant tell you mutch a bout the Battle their
is not many of our Regt come hear that can tell me
mutch about it fore their is one out of my compney come
in hear last night and he said that our compney
was in the hevest of they fights and the boyes pull off
the Battrey so that the Rebs could not get it and
Old Joe Hooker com in front of them with his
hat off and cheer them and them that it was
good pluck that made the boys cheerd up then
I wrote to Mary on 2 sheets of paper to her as the
ware comence at as I it come in heard tolde her
to send it up to you to read. I receved your letter
last night an packege you send to me I very much
a blige to you for them and I will try to turne
it to you as soon as i can they payde the Rigt
off after I come away from the camp and I donte now
when I will get paid now as soon as I can get it
I will send it home So good by fore a while
and my love to you all and all of my Friends
From your Sone
Wm A Smith