[1] Plesant valley Md Near
Harpers Ferrey
Dear Father & Mother
I thought I would write
you a few lines to let you now ware
I am we have had a hard time
of it since I wrote to you before we
have bin chacen the Johney Rebels
up and run them to Fallen waters
and then captured about 2000
prisoners and kill a good meney of
them we have about 16 Rebes of them
that we are going to shoot for
surrendren and waven a white flag
and seeing that their was not many
of them and then they wrone back
and pick up their armes and
shot our men down after they
had surrenderd so they held a
drum head corte Marshel and
their sentence was to be shot
[Page 2]
We have had marchen all the time
so days 20 miles and the day before
the Battles of Gettersburg we march
35 miles and it is harde worke
it is kill me up marchen with
the direah so bad it keeping me
runen all the time and it make
mitey weak and it is as much as
I can due to get a long on the
marche if they donte stop pritty soon
I will have to give up the ship
we have got orders to go ahead
again tomorrow morning at 4 Oclock
to Winchester try to get a head
of Old Lee if we had not marched
so hard and so long we could
got a head of them in a day
and got half of Lees armey they
rushed them in the river with
the point of the baynet and
dounded a great meny of them
in count of us runing them
so hard to get them a cross
[Page 3]
the River so that we could
not get them as it was we took
a bout 2000 of them all to gether
our Division took 4 or 500 of them
in their rush one of the ordleys
at the head juorters [2] took 3 of
them his self so you can see
which side takes to captur
one. Well it is getting late so I
will have to stop writting I seen
Bill Dallings to day and 2 other
from West Chester Ases Fittings
and Ad Goule in the Bands
I think it is Becks Band and
they are all well. Hear is
invelop with the stamp on that
was take from Rebels Napsack
at the Battle of Falenwaters and
a little Cathrel badge that I
found on the Battlefield of
Bulls run it was laying along
a lote of Hummens Boans
[Page 4]
I have got some things more to send
home but their is now chance I
thought I would got them sent
home when I was in Pennyslevan
but we got out of it in such a
herrey their was no chance and to
morrow morning we will have to
cross the river in Old Virginia a
gain I am sick and tirde of this state
So good by to you all for awhile
and Drecte your letters Head Quarter
First Division 2nd Army Corps
armey of the Potomace
From your Son
Wm A Smith