Camp Edwards Ferry Va
June the 22 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 that I got a letter yesterday and you dont know how much good it done me. I hadent had a letter in most three weaks. The one I got yesterday was wrote the 13th the day we started on the march and the one I got before was wrote June the 1. I think there must be two or three letters back yet if you wrote twice a weak. I dont believe you get all my letters. I wrote one last Tuesday when we was at Fairfax Courthouse. We left there Wensday morning. We got here Friday. We are 32 miles above Washington and 2 1/2 miles from Leesburg at Edwards Ferry three miles from Balds Bluf where Colonel Backer was killed. We are repairing the fort that the rebels build where the first gun was fired at the battle of Balds Bluf. I worked on it Sadurday. The 137th has got to guard the ferry. They have got a pontune bridge laid acrosed the river. It is 1,700 feete long. We have had another long hard march. It was hot and dry as we hadent had no rain in six weaks to amount to eneything but Thursday afternoone we had a hard storm. It rained and hailed for a little while verry hard and Friday knight we had another nice shower. There was quite a battle fought yesterday in the direction of Bullrun. The news is that our men whiped the rebs and drove them. I suppose there is about ten thousend rebels in Maryland. I hope they will go up in Pa and York state and wake up some of them dead heads. Eney man that can march and handle a gun ought to start at once and put this thing down. Now is the time. Lee is agoing to do his best before long and I think that will end it one way or the other. He has got over one hundred thousend men. He is in the vally. You stated that they was enrolling men for the draft. Good able boded men ought to be ashamed of it to stay at home and be drafted in a time like this. I hope them coperheads will all have to come and go in one battle and march 100 miles with good heavey knapsacks. That is what they deserve. I dont know how long we will stay here but I guess not long. Dear Charlotte how I would like to see you all. The baby has got quite a big paddy. I want to see him so bad I can hardly stand it. I see you and father and mother last knight. I dreamed I went in battle and was taken prisoner and was taken by a place where I dreamed you were. I dreamed I spoke to you but you dident say eneything. I then woke up and found myself most froze. I was on guard to the bridge. I guarded the Virginia side. When my tower was off at halfe past eleven I lay down on the bank of the river. The ground was wet and the dew wet my blanket wet as it could be and it was fogey and cold. It haint a verry good place to sleep so near the river. The gurillias are scoutting around here. The chaplain and doctor and a lieutenant come verry near getting taken prisoners right in site of our camp. They done some tall walking. There was six rebels lay in the grass. They was on there way to a house to get some milk. The Col sent out a squad of men to rout them out. You wanted to know if you could send a box. You neadent send one. I dont think I would get it. If I can get letters I will be sadisfied. You will nead what little you have got. I dont know when we will get our pay. Now I shal have to draw my letter to a close. Give my love to our folks. Kiss the children for me. I would like to see you verry much. I hope it wont be long when I can. I send my love to you. No more so good buy.
Charles to Charlotte