July the 9 1864
dear wife onst more I am
Blest with op protunity
of Riting you one mor let
ter in forming you that
I am as well as comon
hoping and trusing thas fue
lins may find you and
the Children all well as
for news I hav lots to
Rite if I had the time to
Rite it the yankeys Keeps
us two Bisley well the
last letter I Rote to you
we was near mariretter
we hav Crost the Chatta
hooch Rivdrer we air A[?]est
sum five miles of atta
lanta we hav had
little oure Regmant was
out on picket and the yankeys
Charg them and drov the[?]
in to thair Brest works we
lost sum in the Charg we
hav lost siverel men in
ma[??]Ches Either gon to the
[page 2]
yankeys or home I Cant say [?]
[???]ing and tha all nearly talk
[???] I for got to tell you
that thair was A compney out
of the 54 verginia Regmant
Belonging to ouer Bregad one nite
whil on picket the liutenant
in Command of the
Companey he went over an mad
airraingmet with the yankeys
pickets and Cum Back and tuck
the Companey over with him
and sum has went sence and
sevril has went out of the 58
N C Regmant the Boys Calls
this when on Runs A way or
is miss ing that the owls
has Cout him or them
well tena I hav Run sum
vary narrow Excaps By most
All kinds of Balls tena
thair has not Bin A day
senc I Com Back to the Reg
mamant Be what I hav hearn
Can ons or small armes and
most all the time in Reach of them
[page 3]
tena the last little fite ouer
Regmant was in the time tha
was Run in J J wevear got
A gun A Rifle thas A hed of
any thing I Ever saw in the
way of A gun in my life
it shoots sixteen times with [1]
out loding if it was mine
I wood not take A thousan dollars
for it Weevr was in Charg of
of the picket that and after he
was Run in he was Repost
ing his pickets and this yankey
was tite he sed he was orderd
to advanc his post and he was
so drunk he did not no what
he was dooing and advanct
two fur and Cum throu
ouer lins I wood lik to hav
it for Rupert as John has one
he hated to giv it up vary Bad
he swor at firs he wood [??]
up tell he went and saw his
lieutenant But it was to lat then
tena I hearn from you the
othe day I got A letter from
[page 4]
Sarh Ball She stated that you
and my swee ons was all well and
your Corne loock well I was
glad to hear from you all tell
Sarh that I will Rit soon to hur
tena I Cant Rite just as I want
to --- we air air loosing A
heep of men as we fall Back
tena tak good Cear of your
lit tle stuf tell I Cum home
try and dont let an one tak off my
[??] and [???] it is nothing But
[??] any how I want my
Bodey to Rest in N C soil
I will Bring you a pair of sho
os when I Cum tell All of my
friends to Rite to mee and that I
send houdey to All of them and that
I wood Rite to them if I had
the time it is thout that
we will go on to west point
But I in tend to see tena Be fore
I see west point if I liv tell
Rebecky that I still air trying
to surv my god and how thak
ul I Am [?] that I Ever mad the start

[in top margins of pages 2 and 3]
tell mother tha I hav not forgot hur yet tell your mother and pap tena Be shor to tell them if I never shall see them any more on urth tha I want them to meet mee whaer parting
will Be no more tena I want you to Rit to mee as soon as you git this and giv mee all the news you hav I will Rite in a fue days A gan tena I doo the Best I Can A Baut Riting
I dont Expect

[in top margins of pages 1 and 4]
you git All the letters I start to you tena thos that livs to see 3 more months pass over will see peac made this thing will I think soon Clos it cant hold out mutch longer thank heaven I Bleav it will soon clos I must Close I pray that you may Still Be Blest tena I must Cum to A close kiss the Boyes for mee tell Cis and margrett to Be good gals

[in left margin of page 1]
John W Reese to his loving wife C T V Reese