Near Atlanta GA
August the 2 /64
Dear Charlotte
I seat myself again this morning to answer your letter of July twenty first which I received yesterday. I was glad to hear from you but it brought reather sad news. That is Maties being sick. Poor little thing. I know she sufers a great deal with pain and you have got your hands full taking care of the children. I wish I could be home to help you some. Poor little Matie it seams hasent forgot me yet. I guess it wouldent take long for her to find out who I am if I could come home. I hope she is well now and will ceep well. You say John D weans hard. I suppose you are having a hard time with the children alone. I know about how it goes but I cant help you eney. All I can do is to write. You say as long as you can get letters you feele encouraged. I will write as often as I can. I wrote one yesterday. I dont think I can send this untill tomorrow or next day. You say you will have your likeness taken. You neadent have them taken yet. Wait till I can send you some money first. I guess you will have to for you must be out of money. I dont know when we will get pay. They owe us seven months now. I guess I get eightteene dollars per month from the first of May. How do you live. What have you got to eat. I am afriad you dont have much. We have plenty. I drew some beef this morning. I have got some as nice stake as you ever see. I wish you had it. I draw forty lbs for our compeny every other day. I wish I could through you a nice peice every time I draw. I shal fry some for my diner and supper to day. We get good pork and good coffee. The coffee is whole. It is browned. We have got to pound it. We get more than we can use or more than we nead to use. We dont half steep it. You say Jim Brown has gone back to the hospital. He had better stay there this sumer. There is but verry fiew men in our regt but what have ben to the hospital. I am one of the luckey ones that has had to stay and go through the whole affair. I hope I will ceep well. I am willing to do all I can and want to while I am in the service. I am tough and healthey. I weigh a good deal heavier now than I ever did when I was home. This climate agrees with me. We have some verry hot days. I swet more than I did when I was home. It is verry quiet all along the lines this morning. There was a good deal of artilery fireing yesterday and perhaps before knight there will be some hard fighting. That is generly the case when we have a quiet spell. I will close by biding you good buy.
Chas Engle