Sunday July the 12 1863
Near the Antietam Battlefield
My Dear Wife
I thought I would write a fiew lines to you this morning to let you know where I am and that I am yet amonst the liveing. I sent out a letter Friday morn but I know you wory a great deal about me now while fighting is going on so I will write every chance I have. This makes my third letter this weak. When I wrote my last we was in Pleasent Vally not a great wais from Sharpsburg. We left there Friday morning. Marched until noone and formed a line and built breastworks and expected to fight there but the enemy dident come. So yesterday morning we left there. It was on the old Antietam ground and come here. We got here about noone and we lay here yet. It is all quiet. There is no fighting going on. I dont know what it means but I am afraid the rebs are getting back into Virginia. They have got a strong picet not but a little way from here. They dont want to fight. Lee wants to cross the river as soone as posible. It is rhumerd that they are trying to settle and a great meney believe it but I guess not. But the Southern army is terebly demoralized and I hope Mead will chace them up. They never were so badly whiped as they were at Gettysburg. Greenes brigade suferd more than eney and the 137th lost more men than eney other regt in the brigade. Our brigade fought at least ten thousent men Thursday knight. The rest of our corps was taken to a weak point and we was left alone. The 137th wouldent suferd so much if the rebs hadent flanked us and got in our rear. We thought it was our men and holerd at them and told them not to fire in our one men but we soone found out the diference and we was orderd out. There was one of the boys wounded close to where I was and when the regt left he cried for help but there was such a confusion no one noticed him but I took pitty on him and tried to help him. The bulets came thick and clost but I got his knapsack off and got him up. I couldent carry him and my gun. I got him to lean on me and got him out the worst fireing. I tried to get him out of danguer but he couldent go eney father so I left him by the side of a rock. He was a corp out of another co. He had ben out skermishing and got over the breastworks in our co. I would like to hear from our wounded boys. This hot weather is hard for them. There haint but 333 men left in the 137th but some of the wounded will come back and the prisoners so we will have over 400. If the third brigade hadent fought so hard and held that point the south would gained the battle. If they had broke our lines then it would ben a harder battle than it was. Dear Charlotte I hope this war wont last much longer. I want to come home with my famely. I want to see you all so bad I can hardly stand it but I want to have this troubel seteld first. We are having verry hard times but I am willing to endure most eneything if I onely come out alive so I can return home with you once more but I might as well die here as to have the south counker. If it is my lot to fall here perhaps you and the children can live in a free country. I dont want them to come out victorious. We better die fighting but I hope the hardest fighting is over. I hope they will soone one that they are whiped and come back as they were. You must try and ceep up good spirits. I think you will see me home one of these days. I havent got time to write eney more this time. I have got to go on picet. I will write again soone. Write often. I dont get but a fiew letters lately. I send my love to you all. Good buy dear Charlotte.
Charles