1st                                    the
Camp Near Richmond Va May 21 1862
Dear Father
I now seat my self to
drop you Afew lines to let you no
how I am getting Along I am
well at this time and hope this
may find you all the same
Benj is well and we are
doing very well now Dear
Father I have thought of you
and all my relations A heep
since I left Golds boro because
I could not write to you and
I new you all would be useasy
About me and Ben it made
me uneasy for you for I
no that you want to hear
from me bad for this is
the first letter I have wrote
since I left Goldsboro except
one I wrote one to Mother
with A led pencil for I
had no ink and we were
stopt that day and I wanted
you and all of those to hear
[page 2]
from me for I no you
fel unease About me Dear
Father I will give you and
account of our trip for the
last two months we were
orderd up from Goldsboro
one might About twelve
Oclock we took the cars
for Peters burge and from
there to city point and from
there [??] the [???] the old
muddy pinninsulia close
to yorktown we were setting
in one sid of A little
river called war wick
and General Johnsons army
was on our side and
old General McClans army
on the other we had the
river was damed up in
several places to keep
the yankees from coming over
we had to stand picket
on our side and the yan
kees on the other well you
[page 3]
Saw so many soldiers in
your life I thought that
I had seen soldiers before
but I had not seen nothing
to what was on the
pinninsulia we were at dam
nomber 2 and the pickets
were shuting at each
other pretty nigh all the
time one of the artillery was
standing in the breast
works at the dam and
one of the yankees
pickets shot him and
wounded him so that he
died in Afew days and
at dam nomber one if
you Just let them sea
you they would shoot
at you any time and they
could kill A man one 1000
yards easy with the sharps
rifle well Father you have
no idea how times was
down there one morning
[page 4]
4ist
the yankees commence bum
ing our soldiers at dam
nomber one and keept it
up till two oclock in the
morning when they made
and attempted to come on
our side and then the
hardest fiting commence
you ever heard of some
say that was in the man
nassas fight that it was
the hardest thing for the
time it lasted [than?] [???]
mannassas was I never
heard such fiering in my
life it was like A thunder
storm the muskets Just
kept A continual roar
all the time the battle
lasted till darke when
it stopt or when our men
whipt them back on
the other side the whole
battle was in half mile
of our camps and dam nomber
                                      one
[page 5]
5ist
Cobbs legion was there but
did not get the chance to fiere
A gun but I gess that Cobbs
Artilery done the work for
the yankees the yankees
charged our breast works
three times but were driven
back evry time they faught
harde to get our batery
for if they had got it
they could whiped us and
there they could cut us of[f]
from yorktown and taken
the whole of us prisnors
the yankees fought bravely
shure it was General
Cobbs brigade that done
the fiting on our side
Cobbs Legion is in General
Howell Cobbs brigade
I will tell you
the regiments that is in
his brigade but Cobbs
Legion the 24 Ga the 16
Ga the 2 Lousiana
[page 6]
6ist
the 5 NC and the 11
Alabamma General
Howell Cobb was in
command of the battle
at the dam in the battle
we lost 20 killed and A
bout the same wounded
and I dont no how many
the yankees lost but I
saw thirty dead yankees
my self after the fight
was over they were and
awful sight ly ing dead
in the water all A bout
and they were swolen
very bad when I saw
them but we dont no
how many we killed
on the other side of
the river after the battle
the yankees would not let
us bury there dead nor
would not do it them
selves but if you
[went?] any where A bout
[page 7]
7ist
the dam they would shoot
at you our a men had
to ly in the trenches
behind the breast works
night and day and I
heard some of the 2 Georgia
say while they were there
behind the breast works
that if you raised your
head a bove the works
that they would knock
sand in your face with
there rifle balls they
had to go in there by
regments in the night
to releave one an other
but in Afew days the
dead yankees began to
smell bad and there
was A flag of truce
raised and they sent over
and got them and bured
them then was the time
I saw them for you
could not see them
[page 8]
only when A flag of truce
up when they were fiting
the Legion was helt
back in reserve and
we could hear the bums
hitting the trees A bove
us I saw all our wonded
men they were taken
of[f] Just as soon as they
were wonded they were
shot up bad shure some
shot in the face some
in the arm some
in the legs that was on
the 16 of April the yan=
kees were in hearing of us
the Whole time we were
on the river they were
About to get our army
Cut of[f] from any supplies
and General Johnson retreated [1]
back to Richmond the
whole army left at once
on one sunday night for
we did not want them
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