Head Quarters 1st Division 2nd Corp Oct 2/63

Dear Father & Mother and Sister’s
I take this oppertunity of
writteing you a few lines to let you now
that I received your letter last night and
was glad to hear that you are all
pretty well presant. It has found
me in very good health to be down
hear expect that you have a lively
time in town this week past being
that there is so much going on their
The Fair & Circes and Election and
Mess Meetings an &c. Well I give you
account of our marching and things
that happen on the route up to the
19th of the mounth. Sept 20th their was
now change to Day Sept 21th Their was one
of the conscrips shot through the
hand he was on the out side of
the Pickets line going strait over
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to the Rebs lines and they tolde him to stop
and he did not do it and they shot at
him and shot him through the hand
but he stoped very quick then when
they fetche him in he said that he was
only taken a walke to himself this
morning I think it was a pritty long
walke from ware he belong to it
was about 5 miles he belongs to the 5 corps
Sept 22nd There is a calvery fight going on
to Day we can see it all off the Top
of the Mountain through the Glass
plain and can see our Calvery Drive
the Rebs before them the Genl was
up and seen it all their was two Rebs
came in our lines as soon as the cannadens
commence and they say their will be
a good meney more of them will come
over as soon as they get a chance to
come Sept 23th Their was two more of
the Jonney Rebs come in to Day they
tell a pritty Storey about 2 of our
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men and 2 of their that happens to meat
in a cornfiled as they ware getting some
corne to eat they come up and our men
tolde them to surrender but they found
that our men had now armes with
them so they would not do it so they
turne the joke on them and tolde them
to surrender and they would not do
it so they went at it with their fist
and took it ruf and tumble so one of
our men whipped his man and fetch
his man in side of the picket lines
and the other go the Best of his
man and carred him in side of
their lines so fair exchaings
is now [1] robbery the Genl had a
great laught about it and
said that they had a good bit of
spunck in them for to go at it
with their fiste Sept 24th to 26th Nothing
new going on but we are in the same
old plaice Sept 27th Their was two more Rebs
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come in to us to day Their was one of the
66th NYork Vols had his sentence Read to
him to day he is to be shot on Friday
the 2nd of Oct tweene the houres of 12 &
4 Oclock he cride wen they Read it to him
and he was put in a tent by himself
and now a lady was loude to
go to him. 28th to the 1st of Oct was
nothing new going on but some Rebs
come in and taken prisoners
Friday Oct 2nd there is a sad thing
to come of[f] to day that man is to
be shot in a bout one hour now
and it is raining very hard all Day
I shall stop writting till this a fer
is over and give you the full account
of it as near as I can give it
to you after it is over and what
he said as near as I can hear
it he is hear at Head Quarters
now in a shanty in the dry
[Page 5]
Well the sad afear is over he was shot
about Half past Two Oclock he never
flintch a tall They had the Division
drawen up in a hollow Square and
have one end open ware the Graved
was dug they ware in line at 2 Oclock
and General and staff went down
then and Quarter of hour after warts the[y]
took the prisner down then with
the Brass Band a head and then the
12 men that was to shoot him and
then the 4 men with the coffen on
their sholders and then the prisner
and the Chaplen linked armes
right behinde the coffen and then
their was a reare Garde of 12 men
the marched down in the center
of the near Collum and their was
an open space their for them
to go in and they marched down
through the center of the square
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to the frunt end ware the Grave was
dug and then the Band went one side
and then they put the coffin down
and then he was put in frunt of it
the Chaplen talke to him and pray
with him a few minets then he took
of his coat and folded it up and laid
it dow a long side of him and then
he was set down on his coffen with
his hat and coat a side of him and
then the Capten tide a white hank
chife over his eyes then he stept
one side and give the order to fire
and their was 8 Bulets went in him
their was 3 went in his head 5 in his
Breast he did not make a stager at
all he fell aright Backwar as with
one leg on his coffen and hit face down
to the ground he said that he was
ready to die he walked as ferme as
a man going up to get his discharge
it did not minde it at all if their
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was nothing going on he would walke to the
door and look out at the men drawen
up in line and even when the Band come
their with their peaces he would
take a chew of tobacco he eat a ha[?]
Dinner and wrote his name on the
in side of the shantey with a lead
pencil his man is Adam Smal[?]
Co E 66th NYork Volls Dide of the Oct
2nd 1863 this is what he wrote on
the shanty. He tried to get a way
from the Garde last night
but one of the other prisoners
tolde on him they had him in a
little shelter Tent the Garde was
frunt of the Tent and he was tryin
to get out of the hinde part of the
Tent it was offle darke and rainnig
so that he could not see him at
worke. Well he was a bolde a man
I ever seen he never flinch at any
thing at all it was aparte of
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our Rigdement that shot him they
are the provest Garde hear at the
HeadQuarters the Capten name is
Hobeart I expect you will see
some thing in the papers a bout
the reporter was hear for some
paper I donte now what one it is
if I see it I will send it to you
Well it is time I was stopen writing
for the paper is about plaid out and
I have not got any more stampes now
to write any more letters. Well I will
stop with give my love to you all
and give my best respect to all
of my Friends So good bye to
you all
From your Son
Wm A. Smith
write soon
and when you hear from
Brother Frank give my
love to him wen
you write to him
W.A.S.