Camp Wauhatchie Vally Tenn
Nov the 4 /63
I commenced on the wrong page
Dear Charlotte
I again seit myself to write a fiew lines to you to let you know that I am yet alive and well. I wrote the first and told you about our fight. We are now about a mild from the battlefield on a high noal which we have fortified. The rebs are on Lookout Mountain. It is a very high mountain and they have got some 32 pounders up there and they keep throughing shels down in the vally but they cant hurt us a great deal. Havent yet at least. There is nothing but hills and mountains here. We call it vally but it is full of noles and mostly covered with woods. The rebs are planting a gun part way down the mountain. I dont know but they will through shell in our camp. It is oppsite of me now. The distance is over two miles. Knight before last I was woke up by the report of one of their big guns. It was one oclock. It sounded verry solomn to hear it and hear the monsterous shell explode in the dead of knight when every thing was still and we asleep. We have opend the cracker way to Chatanooga so they can get supplies quite handy now. The troops there suferd for the want of something to eat before we come here. They are runing in supplies as fast as they can but we dont get but two thirds rations yet. We drew three days rations to day. We got 20 hardtacks and a small peice of meat three spoons full of sugar and coffee. The coffee we get here is whole. We have to pound it. I think we will get full rations before long. My appetite is good now and I feele better than I have in three months. We look for a mail to day. I hope I will get a letter. I told you about getting your letter and papers. I was glad to hear that you was all well. I think our baby must be a smart one to sit alone and cutting teeth. I would like to see him and the rest of you verry much. Poor little Matie how I would like to see her. I wrote a letter to Jims folks. He had $1.45 cents in money and some paper and envelops and stamps. I told them I would keep the money paper envelops and stamps and let you pay them if they was willing to do so. I am out of money and it is hard to get writing meteriels here so I thought if they was willing I would have you pay them for the things. They will tell you how much the things are worth. I shant use eney of the money untill I hear wether they are willing to do so as not but if I had some money now I would buy some hardtacks. We can get them for five cents per pound. Let me know as soone as you get this dear Charlotte. It is a wonder that one of us came out alive. I will take another sheet.
It will be hard news for Jims folks. I never felt so down harted since I have ben in the service as I have since this last battle. I told you in my other letter that there was 90 killed and wounded. There is I think 16 dead now and some more that are wounded so bad that they cant live. Them that was wounded was wounded bad the most of them at least. The 137th has the praise from all the generels and all. There was 105 killed and wounded in our brigade and 90 out of our regt so that shows who done the fighting. I heard to day that there has ben 180 rebs buried and we think there was a good more wounded. There haint but a fiew over 200 left in our regt now. If we have to go into a fiew more such scrapes it will take all of us but we may go in a good meney battles and not loose but fiew men. I hope we wont have to fight again. It haint verry pleasant but when we get in we calculate to whip them. The rebs had a least six men to our one. There was two brigades of them. Mostly South Carolina troops. They are regular indians all of them but they found the wrong boys to deal with. We can see the rebs pickets fires along the mountain for five or six miles. It is quite a pretty site. You spoke about sending a box. I dont think you can send eney. They cant bring such things through on account of the supplies for the army. You sead you had some strawberries you wanted to send. I wish I had them. They would taste so good. I guess you could do them up in a can and rap them in paper and send them by mail but it would take to meney stamps. Some of the boys have boots and shirts come by mail. I guess you could send some such things but you neadent go to the troubel to do eney such thing but how good something from home would taste. We dont get the first bit of fruit of eney kind. I went by a garden the other day and I see a fiew cabage leaves and I got them and eat them and they tasted good. You wanted to know if I had a blanket yet. I drew me one to Nashville. We was mustered for pay Sadurday that made three times we have ben mustered on battle fields or near them. I have got my pillow yet but I haint got my cap. I dont want eney. Tell your pa that I sead he must give it to the coperheads. I wish I was there to help him. I will close for this time and see if I dont get a letter.
Tell your ? she must be a good girl and I will write some other time.
Nov the 5
Dear Charlotte
We have just got mail and I received your kind letter with four stamps in it. I was verry glad to hear from you and that you was all well. The letter came through in eight days. Direct your letters all as you did that they come quicker. You had better sell your oats and the cow if you can get what she is worth and buy one in the spring. I wish I could have ben home and eat diner with you. Tell Rachel the Wanzers are all killed and wounded in our regt. There was four brothers of them. I guess she knows some of them. It rains to day but it is warm. You cant send eney box. All you send you will have to send by mail. I haint got time to write eney more. The mail is going in a fiew minuets. I send my love to you and all. Kiss the children for me. No more so good buy.
Chas Engle