April the 15 [1862]
Dear Mit
I seat myself this
morning to drop you A fe[?] lines
to let you no how we are getting
on we are well at this time and
I hope that when thos few lines
reaches you that they may find
you enjoyuing the same great bless[??]
of life I have been looking for
A letter ever since I have ben
here but I never have recived A
letter yet the rest of the boys
gets letters very often some of them
got A letter last evening stating
that Mr young was dedd we took
it to be John young by wich
the letter was writing by his
over seers wee all was very sorry to
hear it I want you to write to
me whether it is so or not.
Mit I wants you to write to me
about all the things at home
and how pappy is gitting on
planting corn I want him to plant
as much as he can tend and more
besides fer it seames like no
[page 2]
person will plant any thing about
thear Mit I must tell you all
something About the times I have
A great deal of news to write to
you but the war I cant do it at this time
fer I expect wee will have A
tremendious battle here for while
I am writing the cannons are
agoing like thunder on both sides
I saw A fight the other evening
and our men whip them from over
ther battrerries they got the yankes
napsacks and overcoats. the yankes
are shootting us like forty.
they can never take old yorktown
to my opinion it is well fortified
it is being better fortified every
day the brest works of old general
Washington are hear it has ben meny
years since they ware thrown up
here but the trees have grown
upon them. pappy I will tell you
something about the old
merrimack She took four vessels
with about 3 000 prisioners and when
the battle comes off here I guess
that wee will have some prisioners
too
[page 3]
I will give you A sketch of my
travels we had A hard time of it
but A lively time you never saw
we traveled all day in the rain
from orange cort house to richmon
wee rode on and old flat car the
hold time we got to richmon about
12 oclock in the night they had
A fine Supper for us we eat
and then wee ware taken down
to the rail road for yorktown wee
traveld all night and the next
morning wee took the steem boat
I stayed on the top untill I liked
to of froze for it raind all the time
and the wind blew hard. I love to
ride on watter we rode about 30 miles
I have enjoyed myself ever since
I have ben in the army we
have A great meny sick ones in our
company it is too tidious to mintion
thir names. uncle James Stone is well
and I hope that we all will stay
well wee have marched A great
meny times it has took some of
our boys down but they never
have broke J F C down yet
[page 4]
Dear Mar and Mit
I wants you to attnd
to the things untill crother or
myself shall come home for wee
do not expect that the war will
last eight months for the time
has come when that wee have
got to fight and if we whip this
battle wee will be safte
I will state that I saw about
ten yankes take A fare crack
at capt Blacknall and six of his
men but they did not get hurt
I must close off at this time
for I have no place to write
and I do not no whether it will
be the last time or not I cannot
tell untill the battle is fought
I have nothing more to
write at this time but remaining
your affectionate son and brother
J F Cogwell [J. F. occasionally spells his last name “Cogwell”]