the
Suffolk Va feb 14 186[2]
Dear fother and mother
brothers and cisters I
wons mor take the
oper tunity of riting
you a few lines to let
you no that I am well
at this tim ho[p]ing thes
few few lins may reach
and find you all well
and doing well the
yankes has taken roan [1]
oak but we hav mad
our escap so far we hav [2]
had a bad time of hit
ther was a gradeal of
the yankes kild and
a bout too hundred of
ou[r] men they hav got
Elisebeth city and and is
reported that that
[????] [??] is taken I
[page 2]
will gav you the ful stat
ment of hit when I
can our regi ment is
all tak en but our com
pany ther was a bout
30 stamer in the fleak [3]
be side the rest of the
of the scuners and sa [4]
l bots in all ther
was a hundid and over
it was burn sids flea [5]
k from new york we
fout them with small
arms Eighit ours we fout
them as long as we had
any amonition the whit
flag was run up the
word was given make
escpe if we cod and we
did mak hours by a
naro risk so nuth ing
mor at pres ent giv my
respects to all who in
[page 3]
for me the got Ever
thing I had but what
I had on my back tho
I am yet encur edg the
r will be som hard
fiting befor long
fair well for this
tim dont rit til
I rit a gain
E M Phillips