[Transcribed on 6/25/2022]
Culpepper November the 12th 1863 Dear friend and Companion I now sit down to answer your letter of the 5th I read your letter last night and was glad to learn that Francis had got well but was sorry that you was so poorly you must take cair of your self and try and presurve your health I am well and hope that these fiew lines will finde you all well
tell Richard that he must write to me tell him that I got his letter that he wrote to me when he was in the hospetol and should have answered it but the same day that I got the letter I heard that he was going to NEw york so I thaught that I would wate untill I heard from him again tell him that there has not any letters came here to the regiment for him cince he went to the hospetol or at least I have not heard of my and [2]
I have inquired of the Orderly every day or two. I guess you will think that I think more of richard than I doe of you all by the way that I ran off of my subject on the commencement of this letter I think a great deal of Richard and as much of my famely as any man ever thaught of his famely
there is not many hour passes ever but what you are in my minde
Oh I must tell you a little about the War last Satureday our Brigade advanced to the Rapahanoe river and put up for night Sunday we crossed
the river near Sulpher springs and marched toards Culpepper untill about two oclock when we ran onto the rebs there was one regt of Cavalry and a batrey of Artillrey in advance of our regt. the Cavalry charged on the reb
Infantry and the rebs opened on them with ARtillrey our men planted their Batrey right in the edge of the [3]
woods as they were cuming out to the open field where the rebs held their position and they played the shells back and foarth untill sun down when our men fell back about a half mile to get a better position for a reguler ingagement the rebs did not see fit to try us any more at that time for
there was another foarce advanceing on them that had crossed the river sum miles below on Satureday this foarce that crossed the river on Satureday found a large foarce of rebs on our side of the river and gave them battle the rebs had very
strong fortyfycations to fall back into across the river they began to fall back across the river and our men ran a piece of Artillrey up on a rise of ground where they got a range of the bridge and opened on the bridge and knocked into a Cocked hat and then Charged down on the rebs and they faught like tigers but our men was to many for [4]
for them the ground was striewed with their dead and our men took
twelve hundred of them Prisoners and then put down our pontoon
bridges and crossed the river and drove them out of their fort and followed them within eight miles of Culpeper now I will go on with our with our ingagement of Sunday last I said we fell back a half mile wall we got railes and built fires got supper leyed down by our fires slept till morning gotup early in the morning and started on to try them again our regt took the advance we soon found that the rebs had fallen back too but supposed they had fallen back for a better position we followed on after them and saw now and then one of their men that was left to watch and repoarte if we were advanceing we followed them Clear up to Culpepper when we came in sight of the City they were going out of sight on the other side we went through the City
