Camp Near Petersburg Va July 8th 1864 Dear Sister

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I have just rec’d your letter that you wrote at home I hear that you had wrote to me before but I did not get it I am glad that the folks are well at home I am well but dont feel well I am about tired out for the want of sleep and rest I saw Lyman last Tuesday he was not well or down sick they come back to rest and I dont know how he is Our Brigade was relieved by the one he is in last night but there is no chance to visit it has to be done after dark and as still as possible there is but little danger on the part of the line we go onto we walk across the field as we choose after dark but bef ore it is dangerous toshow a head above

the breast works there is men killed every day we have been to the front once and did not loose a man killed or wounded we went up to the front Tuesday night and come back to rest last night and had 5 men hit 4 by the rebels one by his own fire. Charles DeWoolf from the Branch was shot close under the cheek bone and come come out at the back side of the neck close to the brain it is a bad wound if he lives 2 was shot dead Where we go to the front we have a very good viewing of Petersburg the right of our brigade goes to the River I will tell you of a little fun we had I call it fun because we come out so well Friday morning June 24th the rebels commenced shelling us in the front line with guns enough to give us a shell every second they come all most length ways of our line they burst over us and in front and rear of us 2 or 3 got hit but not hurt after they shelled us in that way for near an hour a brigade charged on us in front

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They was a picked Brigade for the purpos it is 24 or 30 rods from their works to ours they thought there was but a few 100 days men in the pits and they all scart out and gone when they got about half way across the field there was 5 or 6 collors stuck into the bank and as many Regt’s rose and fired a voley they come up within 3 rods of us to our videt pits and was a going to take them prisoners they tryed to bayonet our pickets in the pits we give it to them so that they dare not go back and except a few that cralled through the grain a weeds so we got the bigest part of the prisoners the other brigade that was to help them dare not come out and show themselvs so we had an easy time there was some men killed and wounded in the other Regts none in 96 I should like 2 such scrapes every day till the rebel army was used up but such scrapes are seldom seen every one said they never was under such cannonading

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We have had a good many marches and some few fights lost a good many men the Regt is small and what is in it are about used up I hop this trial will end the war Old Lee is in Pensylvania I supose I hope he wont get out as well as he did last year We lay in a bad spot between our battery and the rebels so there is danger on both sides as much from one as the other One of our Co got a letter from the 5th N.Y. Cavalry they have been badly cut up J Woster is wounded Col Hammond is a prisoner or missing dead the Regt is at City Point when we ar at the front 2 days we are to the rear one to the [front] 3 days to the rear 2 last night when we come out of the trenches we could not go straight we was so weak the weather is so hot we sweat from sunris till sun down it takes the strength out of a man there has been no rain in over 2 months

Direct to Co. C. 96 N.Y.Y.
Washington D.C.
18th A.C.
H. H. Barton