Henry A. Smith to Family
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I received your letter dated July 20 to day it seems a little better to hear from
home a little oftener The Regiment was gone six days without seeing much they went to
Luray over hills and mountains burned a bridge and returned one night they stoped
where the rebels were only four miles from them with a force reported by a negro to
be 20000 though our regiment were not alone There were six regts besides ours and all
Cavalry there are eight regiments of Cavalry around here now the 1st Maine, 1st Vt,
5th Ky, 1st Nj, 8th Penn, 1st Maryland, 1st Virginia, & 1st Michigan the rebels
ocupy New Market and gap
Capt Rundlett started for Washington yesterday
the boys all think he will resign his commiss ion and go home at least they hope so
for they all hate him though he seldom speaks cross to me one day when we were
drawing rations to go on a scout he told some of the boys that they would never would
have to draw any more rati ons that is the way he encourages his men Lieutenant
Grover and Cushman are diferent men the whole Company like them and try to please
them the regiment have lost one good Officer that is Colonel Kellogg he has resigned
and gone home There is half a dozen double barrel shot guns in the Company that they
have took from citizens and I might send one to the boys if I had any way to do it it
would please them
to have a gun from Dixie Night before last our Pickets
were fired into one killed and another taken prisoner such times all the Cavalry have
to saddle up and wait for orders but we have not had to go out yet I can hear heavy
cannonadeing in the direction of Woodville I presume it is nothing more than
practicing our celebration the fourth was in trying a 20 pound Parrot gun with Shell
I think you are paying a pretty good price for help though I dont know any thing
about the price of help in Vermont this year when I worked for Harvey Havens last
year he would not give me but five Shillings a day yet I done just as much work as he
did I am sorry to hear that poor little Bill is so unwell dont let him work any more
than you can posibly
help I hope to hear that he better my health is
first rate I dont know how long we are going to stay here nor where we are going when
we leave the horses are not in very good condi tion now the Saddles and heat makes
their backs sore I went this morning and got some Peaches they were early ones but
were not very ripe I dont think Father need to worry about poor Hen I think he will
come out all right I dont think the war can last much longer General McClellan has
been strongly reinforced and Pope has got an Arm[y] that aint very
small which he will be able to mar ch down on Richmond when the weather becomes a
little cooler if it is needed them old gunboats are going to have something to do
about it
good bye for now from H A Smith