2nd North Carolina Cavalry

Item CON-10291

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 2 pages, written in period ink.


Camp Near Culpeper, VA
April the 16th 1863


Dear Father,

I just received your kind letter and was glad to hear from you and to hear that you were all alive yet. This leaves me well hoping these few lines may reach you safe and find you all well. Yesterday was a very bad day. It rained hard from morning until night and I was out in it all day long. We had a fight here yesterday and the day before that we got about 30 prisoners and we do not know how many we killed. They wounded 3 or 4 of our men but did not kill more.

We expect to have to fight again soon. We have been out two days and nights and did not eat but one time and I begin to think that we should not get over them. I was too late to be in the fight. If I had been a half worse over the Yankees would have got me, for I had been back to the camp after the rations for the men. And I stopped on the way and stayed to find out where my company was and when I went on to look for them, I found them just before they began to fight. And they sent me back about a half of a mile to take care of the rations until the fight came off. But the best of it was when there was a fight.

I was in a house where there were 5 nice girls and stayed there until the fight came off and the girls treated me mighty good and kind. I think if I could get meat and bread enough to feed my boys on that we would soon wipe out the Yankees. But we don’t get enough to eat. But we can make out on what we do. I must close. Tell all the rest that I want to see the all really bad. Write soon. Back your letter to Richmond, Virginia, care of Captain J. J. Vick.

Give my respect to all of my friends, if I have any.