[1] Sept the 16th 1861 fayet co Sewil mountain
Dear wife and children it is with pleasure that I now
take the opportunity to drop you a few lines to let you
know that we ar all well at presant hopeing when thees
few lines comes to hand they will find you all well
i can inform you that we had a hot battle at camp gauley
on the tenth of this month which lasted 5 hours the ennimy
strugled sevierly to [out?] [???] but we repulsed them without
the loss of a man Gen floyde was slitely wounded in the rite
arm and thar was 6 or 8 others wounded we learn that the loss
of the ennimy was 400 killed and about 110 wounded about
midnight general floyd concluded that they was a trying to
surround us and we retreated back to dog wood gap and then
thar was 1 company sent back to see what the yankees was dooing
ani when we got thar we found them imployed in puting a bote
in the river which they had Just compleeted me and too
others was avewing them and i was up in a sapling & the too men
that was with me fired on them and they fired about 100 shot
at us which made me come down ilay flat on the ground
behind the little sapling and the bullets came whisling all
around me i begin to think that i was a gone chicken
they didnot miss me 1foot it was about 6 or 700 yards i
didnot think they coled shoot so far it made me scrin
ge worse than i did in the battle whar the bums was fly
ing and the shot was flying our company had to support
the battle i shot 20 s[h]oots at them i did not shoot
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without having a good site on them the artillery men [??]
that our rifle men picked them off like black birds
i cold hav schot somore but my gun was too hot
so i will close my few remarks by sayng I remain yours truly
Ephraim Hampton to Sary Hampton and family
and Andrew Hampton and family
so farwell for awhile
I want you to rite often 1want
to hear from you bad
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September the 16 th 1861 fayet co Va
Dear wife and children i take the opportunity to
Drop you a few lines to let you know that iam
well as common at presant and i hope you ar well Jac
kson sexton [2] is giting better we ar expecting afite
at this place we ar a throwing up brest works hear
now we suppose that thar was a fite near summers
vill yesterday we cold hear the reports of the can
an and see the volys of smoke arising we hav 7 ridg
iments in our brigade thar is one from north Carliner
and one from GA they say they hav come for a fite
and they intend to hav it they Say they hav
not came so far for nothing we hav not got
any mony yet and we dont know when we
will Afew lines to John Sexton I can inform
you that I hav not recieved any letter yet from
you sense i left hone I want to you to rite to mee
awften when i rite to one i rite to all so i will
my few remarks to a close nothing more at presant
but remain your affectionate husband and
friend untill death so farwell fore a while
Richard Taylor to Nancy Taylor and family