Camp Aquia Creek VA
May the 18 1863
Dear Charlotte
I againe seit myself to write a fiew lines to you to let you know that I am verry well and much hope thoes fiew lines will find you all well. I was disappointed not getting a letter. I looked for one Sadurday and yesterday and to day but no letter so I thought I would write one and not disappoint you. You dident get a letter a weak ago and perhaps you dident write one but I couldent write two weaks ago yesterday. I was in the battlefield at Chancellorsville and I had enough to do besides writing. It dident seam much like Sunday. I hope I never will have to do another such three days work. It was a hard battle. Our loss is ten thousend and the rebs still more. We would whiped Lee but Jackson reienforced him and he made diferent calculations but he suferd for it. He was wounded in his arm and has since died. That is a victory. He was an awful fighting man. I am glad he is dead. We never will have to fight him againe. We was obliged to cross the river but the rebels couldent drive us acrosed. It rained and the river was raising and there was dangur of the briges going and then we couldent got supplies. We suferd a great deal with cold and wet as we had to lay on our arms the most of the time without tents. I am about over my cold. I cough some yet but I feele verry well. We have got to drill four hours a day. We have got plenty of good water here. I hope we will stay here a spell but how I would like to be home this pleasent weather. I am allmost homesick. I haint halfe so contented as I was before I was home. I want to see you and the little ones so bad I can hardly stand it but I shal have to make the best of it now. I want to see this war setteled and I am willing to do all I can towards it but it is a hard case and I cant tell how it will go. One thing cirtin there is men enough killed. The wounded suferd terably in these last battles. Some dident get their wounds dresed until they was full of magets. Some must have burned to death. The woods was all on fire Sadurday knight after the hard fight. I see one arm Sunday. It was scorched black. The hand was on. The fingernails was burned off. How the wounded do have to sufer. Eneyone that cant see them haint no idea about it. You must try and write to me. It does me a great deal of good to get a letter. I look for one every day. This is the third one that I have writen since we got back here. Let me know if you got them all or not. I will close for this time. I send my love to you. Ciss the little ones for me. How I would like to be home with you. Good buy dear Charlotte.