Henry A. Smith to Family
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I received your letter of the 7th yesterday and was glad to hear from your I also
received the money which of course I am glad to get have not had any before since we
left Snickers Ferry I let three dollars and a half of my money for large interest and
the fellow got taken Prisoner another fellow owes me three dollars will pay me as
soon as we get paid of this lend ing money has played out with me in the Army We left
our first Camp at Alexandria a day or two after I wrote and went to Munsons Hill
where we joined the regiment and Camped three days then moved back to Alexandria and
Camped four days and moved up here this forenoon The 9th/10th/ and 11th
Vermont regiments are Camped near here I have not seen any boys that I know nor have
see Carter since we left Warrenton I forgot to tell you about Wesley Watts in a
Skirmish near Waterloo he got of his horse and stood behind a tree and was firing
across the river at the rebs he stooped over a little to put a cap on his gun and a
bullet hit his Saddle piece and made him quite lame it cut a gash about four inches
long he jumped on his horse and left I saw Hen Mosher at Munsons Hill I dont know but
the rebels are going to overrun the northern States but I hope we have got men enough
to stop them I suppose we are going to stay here and recruit get some new horses and
other new thing that we want and get paid of Eugene Blake is sick Rumrill who we
heard was dead is still alive and doing well poor Dana
has never been
heard from Wesley Watts is doing well and all the boys except one or two are well my
health never was better At Bull Run our whole Army must have been ruined had it not
been for that brave young General whom the New York Tribune Slanders s so I heard a
Captain say that belonged to Porters Division just after the Battle we have fought
and retreated under McClellan and we will fight and retreat under him again if it is
nesessary all of his men have the greatest confidence in him the people have lost
confidence in Gen Pope but his Soldiers have not If you want to know where our Camp
is look on the map and you will see a place just above A where the river sets back
into the land about 50 rods back of the little bay lays our Camp
you can
do as you please about fating the Oxen but I should not untill the Steers get big
enough to do the work you say hay does not bring much and it will not cost a great
deal to keep them besids they will make a good deal of manure our things we left at
Annapolis were at Sandy Hook all the time we were in the Shenandoah Valley I suppose
they are at Washington now when we get into winter quarters we shall have them could
not take care of them here besids they would be to much for the horses to carry
around I have not writen to Father yet but am going to as soon as I can get some
paper envelope and stamp I am going down to the Sutlers to get some dont let Bill do
any such work as loading Corn if you can get any body else to do it I am going to try
to send the boys a double barrel gun
H A Smith