Camp vance Febuary the 1 th 1863
Southhampton county virginia
Deair father I take this oppotunity
To inform you that I am as well as comon
at this time truly hopeing if thees few
Lines come to hand they may find you all
Well and dooing well I can inform you that
I receved your kind letter of the 26 th yesterday
which I was glad to heair that you was
all well with the exception of Isom
you wrote that you had taken Isom
home and that you had no dificolty in
geting him which I was truly glad
to heair I wold bee very glad to heair whither
you took the case off of the coffin ar not.
I was sory to heair that you had not got
the Letter that I wrote to you the 18 th.
I can inform you that I got to the regt
on monday after I left you and found
them heair at this place whar we have
got cabins and make it our home.
thar was nothing said nor done a
about any of us going home.
I wold like to heair how litrell
got home whither he was pessterd
any or not.
I Can inform you that we started
out on a scout last sunday
we went over black warter
and we had a fite with the
yankeys a friday morning
[page 2]
The fight comensed at 4 o clock in
the morning neair buck horn it was
an artilery figt all to geather and a
greait one too fore the number of piec
es thar was 12 on each side and I never
heaird such roaring in all of my
life and to take such affect as it did
I was not in the fight all day light
for I was on pickett and when I got
thar the last shooting had Seised
thar was some three or four of our
regt killed and some 12 or 14 wounded
and col pogue was killed we lost
in killed and wounded and miss
ing in the whole some 45 or 50
thar was not many killed elias Davis
was wounded in the sholder tolerble
seviere and m Atkins & martin Atkins
& william coomes of our company
was slitely wounded and Lieut
Carter of co J had his leg broke
and the Doctor cut it off. this contry
is so levil that thar is nothing in
the way to hender a canon
ball from sweepeing every thing
before him iff thar had not been
a ditch for our men to have
got in thar wold not have been
one Left to a tale the tail
write soon Ephraim Hampton to
Andrew Hampton and Sary Hampton
[page 3]
I can inform you that we have
devided our company takein the
Caroll men and maid company
J and takein some from com c to
fill up our company and we elected
Alexeander Colins 2and Lieut and kenly
Atkins lieut in our company
this is a very low flat contry the
leveles smoothest contry that I
ever saw in my life and generly
very pore but thar is plenty of
sweet potatoes heair I have mas[hed?]
a many a one sense I have been heair
tell sary to write son
Lenvill Heggins and floyd Mancos
Has got the small pox but is nearley
well thar is no more of our regt
that has got them yet that I no of
we have a heepe of cold wet wether
heair tell James taylor to write
and tell sary to wright whither
they have hearid from the boys
or not and whar they was
and whither they was well or
not and tell philis to write
how John is and I hope that
the rest will write any how
so no more at presant only remain
your son till Death H[ope?]ing if [??]
we never meet one arth that we
may all be prpared to meet in
heaven whar parting is no more
[page 4]
[illustration of the battle field with labels]
The picket [???]
yankeys batry
56 th lines 54 th Camp
woods
house farm
batery battry
ditch and sixty third in it
The 50 th line close road
battry
50 camp 63 camp
[page 5]
[continuation of illustration]
Discripton of the
batle field
road leeding to sufolk