Camp Near Richmond Va July 4/62

Dear Father I seat my self to
drop You a few lines to let you
Know that I am well and hope
When These few Lines comes to hand
may Find You enjoying the same
Blessing I am pretty near Broke
down We have bin in Three
Battles in the last Week and
we Whipt the Yankeys a bout night
but we Lost a heap of men
and Taken a heap of Prisners
I reacon we taken a bout ten
Thousand and Killed several
Thousand and Taken a bout one
Hundred and twenty five pieces
Artilery From them and Wagons
and horses Guns and Amunition
Knap Sacks Blankets and in fact
every Thing they had I was in
Three Fights and hope charge on
their Batteries and then they mowed
us down with Grap shots
[page 2]
But they was a blige to leave
them in the First Fight we got
in Alford Dull was shot in the [1]
Head Just above his left eye
and it came out the Back part
of his head he was ant dead the
last time I heard From him but
their haint no chance For him
To live I tell you it troubled
me to my heart when he Fell
For me and him was Just like
Brothers to each other I wrote
Mrs Dull a letter to day about
it I Must tell You I didant
get hurt no wher we got three
Killed in our company and some
15 or 20 Wounded but I dont
Think that more than three or
Four will die I got a Yankey
Swoard and kap knap sack and
Some more little things but I
had to throw a way my swoard
and Knap sack some of our
boys got 4 Razers and one got
[page 3]
a Pistole Worth Fifty dollars
The Yankeys have left and gone to
their gun Boats I cant begin
To Tell You half a bout it
I wouldant be surprised if
This didant end the war
I want you to write to me
as soon as You get this For I
havent had nerry letter in three
two Weeks From You and tell
me how corn Looks and What
Baucon is worth and such as
That and how you are a geting
a long With Your crop Tell
george Brann I said he better
come and help us Whip them
and hear us holler when we
charge on their Batteries and then
See the Yankeys Run I havent
nothing much more to Write that
is interesting Tell George to Write
to Me Write soon and often
W A Tesh
[page 4]
Mother every time You have
Irish potatoes and Beans and onion
I want You to think of me
and especialy When You have chicken
and Tell Fanny to eat some For
me and her Both I never wanted
anny thing as bad in my life as
I do Want Beans and Irish potatoe
I do believe I would Give 2 Dollars
For as manny as I could eat
Tell John and Sam I want them
to make all the corn They can
so they can have a big corn
shucking this Fall and I think
I can get to come home a
While this Fall on Furlough
So no more But Remain your
most afectionate son untill death
I tell You I thank my god I
got our safe in all the Battles
and hope and trust I may get to
come home safe
W A Tesh
To his dear Mother and Father