Henry A. Smith to Family

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Snickers FerryJuly 5th 1862Dear Mother Sisters and Brothers

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I received two papers from you the 6th I wrote to you the 27th June. We expect every day to have the Ferry to go toward Harrisonburg We get news from Richmond every day heard lately that old Stone Wall was killed hope We shall not hear any more from him though would like to try him with the force we have in the Valley now our four Companies have took no less than fifteen Prisoners since we have here they had hired out to the Farmers and were going to wait till Jackson come back they say that Jacksons Army went through the gap at New Market down the Learay Valley and out at

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Front Royal I wish it would be so I could send you a box of Peaches you ought to have some of the great nice Cherries that grow around here I have all i want to eat every day I wish I had a pair of drilling pants to wear it is so hot we have had plenty of Bread and warm biscuits to eat since we have been here if we want any milk take a Canteen and go out and milk a secesh Cow the boys go out most every night and forage a lot of Butter and Honey we have to be on Picket Guard most every other night but that is not very hard work the Horses are all fat now having plenty of good grass to eat the papers say that General McDowell has gone to Richmond to reinforce McClellan and that McClellan has been taken Prisoner with 40000 men this is in the Baltimore

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Sun and no body believes it I suppose you have commenced haying by this time dont let Bill work any more than you can help if you have money enough there is four months pay due us now 80 dollars State pay and all expect to be paid when we join the regiment which is near Front Royal. I hope I shall have a chance to meet Carter some where I dont know when I shall have a chance to send this letter perhaps not till we join the regiment it is so much cooler here than any where else that I hate to leave We have no tents except square pieces of Canvass just for shelter as we are here in a place where we dont see much I have but little to write since we have been in Dixie I have not been homesick a bit but when we were in Maryland I felt real homesick though

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we did not stay there but three weeks it seemed like three months how does fruit look up there this summer Gene Blake talks of going Home this summer and come back in the fall does Charlie Drake live with Shep now I dont know as I can think of any more to write


so good bye write soonH A Smith

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