Near Sharpsburg MD
July the 9 1863
My Dear Wife
I once more take the opportunity to write a fiew lines to you to let you know that I am well and where I am. I have writen one letter to you since the battle. I wrote it last Sunday. We wasnt then on the battle field but I hadent but just got it wrote and we had to march. We went to Littles Down and lay there untill Tuesday morn. We marched again towards Fredrick Citty. We marched twenty eight miles Tuesday and yesterday we went through the citty. We stoped about a mild this side and took diner and near where they hung a spy. They hung him Sunday and he hung yet yesterday. He was the man that I bought them verses of last fall in Pleasent Va(?). He sead he would had our whole train captured in five hours if we hadent ceatched him. I heard his son was to be hung on the same tree yesterday afternoone. The rebs havent got back in Virginia yet. We are onely eight miles from Lees whole force. We have got them surrounded and they have got to fight or surrender. I think the bloody time will commence tomorrow. I think we will whip them all to peaces. I feele verry much encouraged about the war. Vicksburg is ours and if we have good luck here I think that will use them up but meney a brave man has got to fall and we know not who. I would like to hear from the wounded men. I wrote to Mrs Tilbury. She will feele verry bad. I dont think Perley can live. We got a mail yesterday. I got a letter from you. It was wrote the 14 June. I was veery glad to hear from you. I hadent had a letter in most two weaks. I have writen every weak. I dont belive you get them all. This is my second one this weak. I dont weather I can send it or not but I thought I would write one eneyhow. I am writing in a great hurey. I expect to hear the bugle eney minuet. Dear Charlotte we have pretty hard times now. It is most four weaks since we broke camp at Aquia and we have ben on the go ever since except a fiew days at Edwards Ferry. We havent had a chance to wash our clothes and we are getting verry dirty and lousey. We will draw some new clothes in a day or two. Dear Charlotte I wish we could get our pay. I now you must be out of things and no money to buy eneything. I think we will get four months pay when we get it. I received a letter from Ervina a weak ago to day. I will send it to you so you can read it. We have just had orders to put up our tents so I guess we will camp here to knight. Dear Charlotte how I would like to see you all. Where was you the fourth. We celebrated the third this year. We had plenty of music all day. I am verry thankful I come out safe the fourth. We buried our dead. It looked hard to see so meney dead men. We buried our regt all together. Well dear Charlotte we have just got a mail and I got a letter. It was wrote June the 9. The one I got yesterday was wrote the 18(?) and the one with the thread in I havent got yet. I am sorry for I want all your letters. It does the soldiers a great deal of good to get letters espechley in a time like this. We are having a hard time but as long as I ceep my health I guess I will go through with it. The battle of Gettysburg was a hard one but it was a complete victory. We whip them at every point. I think it is a good thing that the rebs went up into Pensielvana. I wish they was father north. I think we would lay the whole of them. I have got a blanket now. I stuck to my knapsack and blanket all through the fight. All I lost was my canteene. I could picked up one but the most of them was shot to peices. We are now in Pleasent Vally between Sharpsburg and where we was campt last fall. We come from Jeferson to day. We came through Hamptons Gap in the valley. We have traveld through a beautiful country and more wheat I never see. I must close for to knight. I wont seal it and if (?) I have a chance to write in the morn I will. I cant write halfe I want to tell you. I have alwais got to write in a hurry. Good buy.
C Engle