Hanover Junction
In camp Near Richmond
the
August 15 1862
My dear Father & Mother
After a long delay
I take my pen in hand to answer your
letter which I received some time ago:
I should of answered it before this time but
we have made another move: and I thought
I would wait til we made a stand: before I wrote
My health is better than it has been for some
time except my leges. they have been pestering me
for some three or four weeks. they have been paining
me something like the rheumatise: but are getting
a greateal better: I received a letter from Jacob the
13th of this inst. he had left lynchburg an gon to
Liberty va. he said he was getting rather tired of the
hospital and was very weak yet. I received a
letter from sam since I wrote to you he was well:
We left Richmond 19th of this inst and marched three days
towards the vally of Va: we have taken up camps
near Hanover Juncction: we do not
know how long we will stay here: we
may leave here in a day or too and
maby not in a month or to: it is owing
to the movements of the yankees whether we
will move soon or not: It is thought there is
not any danger of a fight close about here
without the yankees makes a move soon..
It is reported that Jackson is making the
yankees retreet in a hurray I hope he may
runn them back homes The yanks was in five
or six miles of richmond a month or so a go
there is not any in twenty five miles
now: I will say no more about the war
for I expect you hear more than you want
without it was better
[page 2]
I am inhopes we are getting into
a more healthyer climate than we
have been: for the country looks more lik
old buncombe: and the watter is more
pure: and the aire is fresher: I am sorry to
hear of so much sickness in old buncombe
and so many of our friends and acquaintances
dieings but we halfto all go when our time
comes. it matters not where we are nor what
we are doing: We hav received too hundred
and ten conscripts to fill up our regiment
It is said there is four hundred more coming
to our regt. Well I had better close without
I had something more interesting to write:
for I am about out of paper
I wrote a few lines to Jane in my
other letter that I wrote and forgot to
sine her name to it I sent the letter by James
Walton I will close for the present
write when you can
Wm. M. Patton




Hard hard indeed is the contest for freedom
and the strugle for independance So when the
yankees backwards flee the southern boys their
homes shall see