Atlanta GA
Sept the 5 /64
Dear Wife
I am happy to inform you that I am well and Atlanta in our posession. The citty was surrenderd the 2nd to General Slocomb. Our brigade was the first troops in the citty. That is two regts. They was sent out on a reconnoisance and they found nothing to stop them. Sherman was successfull in his great raid. He took meney prisoners and killed and wounded meney. The battle was fought at Jonesburrough 22 miles from Atlanta on the Macon Road. You will read all about it in the papers. We are now in the rebels fortifications guarding the citty. I guess the great campaign has ended. It was just four months from the time we started on the campaign till the capture of Atlanta. That is a long campaign but there has ben a great deal accomplished. We have driven the rebs over one hundred miles. The shel that our men threw in the citty done a good deal mischeafe. They killed a good meney women and children. The citty is filled with women children and old men and there is a great meney of the rebs dezerted and came in our lines. Our boys got all the tobacco they wanted and a great meney other things. Atlanta is quite a nice place. I hope we will stay here this winter. I like it here. We have good water. Our regt is in one of their forts. They had a good position but Sherman was to smart for Hood. There was a squad of prisoners brought in yesterday numbering 1600. They say Sherman took in all over five thousend. Old Claborns divition that fought us so often was nearly all killed or captured. They was the best troops in Hoods army. Wen I last wrote we was back to the river building works. I felt reather discouraged having to fall back but our cause never looked so prosperous as it does now. If Grant can take Richmond and Abe Lincoln reelected I dont much think we would see another sumer campaign. All the hopes the south have is they expect the copperheads will help them but the fall of Atlanta will make some diferance in afairs. There is quite a good meney New York and Pencilviania people living here and some good Union people. I havent time to write eney more this time. I hope to hear from you soone. You must excuse this. I have writen it in a great hurry. The mail goes out in a fiew minuets. Good buy.
Charles Engle