Williamsport MdJune 7 1862Dear Mother Sisters and Brothers

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I received your letter yesterday and was glad to hear from you I wrote to you the next day after we got here but I guess you did not get it untill you sent you letter Our retreat and defeat I suppo se has caused considerable excitement in the northern States although we got out of it well considering the situation we were in. Gen McClellan sent a dispach to Gen Banks ordering him to retreat by Banks got it nine hours to late so the enemy had nearly out flanked us and had all the chance they could ask for to capture our little handfull of men numbering only 5000. Our Company have lost twelve men either killed or prisoners George Dodge was one of the teamsters and was shot in his wagon. Lant Blake

and Gene got cut off from the Company and crossed the river with some of the New York Cavalry 20 miles above here and got here two or three days after we did. the morning we were in Winchester a little drummer boy was walking along under a window and an old Secesh woman caught him by his hair and with her revolver blew out his brains the next moment a ball passed through her head and she hung there across the window case another woman who was seen firing out of the house at the Soldiers was shot by an Officer and a great many were seen firing at the Soldiers. They have got their pay now for General Fremont has had a battle with them and drove is driving them through the Valley Rosencranz is on the other side of them. When we were in Newton where the battle first commenced the dust was so thick that you could not see one yard after the dust got cleared

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of I looked out into the field where the rebels were. up on a knoll above them was a battery throwing shells at us while part of them in the hollow were deployed as Skirmishers and the rest were advancing in line One regiment I noticed in particular, wore red Shirts green pants light colored broad rimed hats and long flowing hair most all the other were bare head and bare foot with mixed up raged uniforms We have got another new Colonel his name is Tompkins the Lieutenant that led the gallant Charge to Fairfax Court House he has been to Washington and got a lot of new haversacks canteens and Pistols for the regiment the rebels did not drive our men across at Harpers Ferry they made a stand there our men left some tents on Bolivar hights and when the rebels came along they all went into the tents then our men threw a hundred and sixty pound Shell over

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with 200 one ounce balls in it it struck right among the tents and tore them all to pieces what fiew men were left scattered in all directions the rebel regiment with the red Shirts and green pants were called the Louisanna Tigers. A good many of our sick were left in the Hospital at Strasburg and are probably Prisoners Gastin Walker was among them. all our regiments teams and tents were lost encluding the regimental Colors the road from Winchester was jamed and cramed full of teams. Hospipal wagons full of our wounded a good many of the wounded that could not help themse lves fell victims to the Bayonet and Sword My hand has got most well and my health is first rate my paper and envelopes I put in a box to Annapolis with the rest of my stuff. Write soon and tell me how you get along

so good bye H A Smith