Head Quarters Near Marisenvile Va [1] Aug 2nd/63

Dear Sister Molley
I take this oppertunity of writting
a few lines to you to let you now how I am that
is not very well at presant this hard marching
donte agree with me for I am about plaid out
and if I donte get any better I will have to give
up and then they will have to sent me to the Hospital
again or else they will have to dig a hole for me for I
cant stand it for it is to harde for me. Well I have
travelled from Fredricksburge Va to Gettesburge Pa and
very near back a gain we are in 20 miles of the same
Old place that we first started from that is
Fredricksburg and I expect we will be their before
this letter reaches you or In a fight near hear I
hear some shooting a good peace from hear I think
their will be a fight pritty soon a gain. Well
Molley I have bin over a great meney Old Battle Fields
I was over the Bull Run Battle Field and Antetam and
Hay Market and South Mountaine and Masnasses Gape and
two or three others that I cant think of their names
now I was at Slickers Gap and Ashbes & Mosbes & Thurfare
Gaps since and at Warrenton and Warrenton Junction
and now we are in 2 or 3 miles of Kelleys Forde so I think
we will get Back to the Old place pritty soon if we
donte stop going that way I have bin to all of these
places since the Battle of Gettesburge Pa and it
was a bloody one at that it was a offll Field
to see the dead lieing on top of each other as in
win rows [2] as we mowed the Rebs down so as
[Page 2]
No 2
fast as they come up to us they maid a charge
on our Batterys 3 times in the center of our
corps to take them but it was now youse
of trying fore we had them charge with dubbel
charges of grape and canester and as soon as
they would come up they would let 150 peaces
go at them at once so I tell you that was
throwing the iron hail pritty sharpe at them
and it was not much wounder that they fell
in heeps on each other and we did take a
tremendis site of prisoners their and after the Battle
was over we started after them a gain we went to Union
Town and then to Fredrick City and as we got
on the other sid of the City their I seen a Rebel
spie hunge to a tree they left him hang for
three Days we went on to Jefferson City and stoped
for the night and before one houre we had orders
to go over the mounten to Keep them going Back
to the Old Antetim Battle grounde and after
we got over the mountain we stoped for the
rest of the night and then we started for Jones
x roads [3] and their we hade a little skermesh with the
Rebs and in a 1 ½ miles from their they had hevey
eirth workes through up and then we went
to work and done the same and planted som Battery
their that night and in the night the Rebels left
and then we went after then hot foot that day
our Division was in the lead and we run them
to Follen waters and took about 5000 prisners
it was a harde chace after them it was very near
20 miles heat and then we came back and struck
off for a nother plaice and the first plaice we come up
at was Sharpesburge and we struck of to
[Page 3]
was at Ashbes Gap and their we give them
a chace till we got them on the other side of the
river and then we come Back a mile to a Town
that they call Paris and staid their all night
and then we struck off after them at Mannass
Gap and give them chace their and Killed some of them and
tooks some prisners and then we struck off for Warrinton [4]
and staide their a half Day and then we went to
in a 1 ½ mile of Warrington and stoped for 2 Days and
we have come to this pleace Morisvill and have
stoped for 2 or 3 days and I donte now how much
longer and take it all to gether it has bin a hard
time of it in marchen we have travelled a
good meney miles since we left Falmouth
and I expect we will travel a good meney
more before we stope to stay any time at all
for it is one of the offel hot days down hear
if we wer marchen their would be a great
meney men drop with the heat fore one
of my horses was very ny dropen down
just standen in the sun yesterday and to
day is a good bit hotter so I had to take them
in the woods and it is so hot that the sweat
is run off them their it is to hot to write
so I ges that I will have to stop I donte think
I can tell you much more for I am about
plaid out of newes to write well I seen 3 fellows
from West Chester the other day one was Bill
Dallings and the others was Gus Fithing and
Ade Golde they are in Beck’s Band that is in
the 2 Division they are near us all the time some
days our Division is a head of them and other
days behinde them we change off every 3 days
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No 4
Well Molley I have not heard any thing from
you since I left the Hospital and have not had
now answer from you for the last letter I wrote
to you but it is not your falt for if you have
wrote to me for I supose you have direct the Old
Direct at the Hospital them I donte think
I will ever get for the Hospital was broken
up and the main Docter has gon home to
New York and there is now body to get them
and they will stay in Washington post office
So when you write to me direct your letters
to me 1st Division 2nd Corp the army of the Potomac
in care of Major Hancock For I am at the
Head Quarters taken cair of his Hoarses ther
it is a little better than caren the musket and
not much eather on the march I have to walk
and lead two of them and If he rides one of
his own then I can have one to ri[de?] But
if he donte he wonte let me ride one of his for
he is the dames meanes man I ever saw for being
a white man about his hoarses he Said that
he can ride them himself he wants them
rested but he donte cair wether a man can
walke or not he can have two or 3 Hoarses to
ride so I have to get a long as well as I can and I
get a longe so well as soon as I can get a pleace
so that i can get a chance to get a way from
hear I am going to do it and go to a Hospital
or els discharge me fore I shall not care a
musket again if I can get out of it
for I can not ware the Belts or Catrag
Box on me for it is harde for me to