THE LETTERS - Part
6LETTERS FROM MICHAEL AND EDWARD HOLMES, C.S.A, 1861- 1865
EDITED BY: GORDON W. HOLMES, JR.
January, 1995, Revised August, 2000
Camp on Ocoquon (Occoquan Creek) Jan 9th 1862
Dear Mat
Tom Doswell has got a discharge & will start home this evening or tomorrow. I write this to send by him. My health continues to improve. I have had no fever in over a week. I am up all the time now & think I will soon be intirely well. Jimmy Howertons health is bad, he has severe cold. The weather here is very bad. The ground has bin covered with snow & ice for the last 8 or 10 days. Today it has turned a little warm & is raining. There is no news here to write. They say they expect a grate battle dailly but I have no thought it will come this winter. they failed to attack us when the weather was good. I dont think they can come now the weather has got so bad. I have had no letter since George came. I am beginning to look for one. I want you to have the cattle well taken care of this winter. They will help mitely about living next summer & I tell you I feel very uneasy about something to eat for the next year. You must all be as saiving of provisions as posable. Buy what meet you need from Mr. Howerton if you have salt to save it. I will send Mr. Howerton $50.00 by the first safe chans if I dont git sick & have to use it here. I am mitely pleased with the way Ned has arainged every thing about the plantation.
I think if it rains anough & he plants the land he writes me is going to plant in corn we will make corn anough next year. The time slips off pretty fast, now only 4 months to stay. It will soon run off. I dont think if they were to offer ferlows now I would come home. I know I wouldent if my health was as good as usual. I might come with a vew to recrut my health but I think my health will git good here soon. If it dus I know I shall not be home till May. I learn Tom will start this eavning. I want to write another letter or two to send by him so I must close. Write to me oftin.
I remain as ever
Mike
Dear Mat
It is now sixteen days since I have had a line from home I dont know why it is that I cant git more than one or two letters a month.
I hear pretty regular that you are all well by letters from Mr. Howerton to Jim. He got a letter last nite. It statid you was all well. I was very glad to hear it.
My health is improving sloly but I am weak & ill. It frets me almost to death when I cant git letters regular. There is no news here. the weather is bad. The snow is about three inches thick on the ground & has bin nearly ever since Christmas. I have nothing more to write. I shant write anymore till I git a letter from home. I will then write a long letter.I remain yours as truly as ever
Mike
(In an envelope addressed: Ned Holmes, Esqn care of Mr. Teague)
Camp on Ocoquon Jan 25th /62
Dear Ned
Mr. Teague has resigned & will leave for home in the corse of two hours. I write you a few lines. I have nothing in the world to write. I am gitting well. I was very acious to git a letter from you but failed to git one. If you gave one to Mr. Teague it was lost with his trunk, he got it stolen lost every piece of his clothing. I am very ancious to git a letter from home not having had one in a month. There is nothing doing on this line now in the way of Army moovements. There has bin heavy firing down the river for the last two days. I dont know what it means. Our Generals think we will have a fight here soon & some think the heavy firing down the river for the last two days was signal guns to give their different divisions notice to move all at once upon us. I dont think they will come the weather is too bad, the ground covered with sleet. I guess the weather at home has bin very unfavorable for saving meet. I fear there has bin meat spoiled. I hope ours was not kild. They say the winter here has bin unusally mild tho it has bin bad anough I think. I still hope we will be mooved south this winter but it is giting so late I am begining to dispar.
I think there is going to be hard fighting on the co(a)st of North Carolina soon. The Burnside fleet that there has bin so much talk about is threatning the co(a)st of NC & I have no doubt but they will affect a landing at some point & try to git posesion of the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad which would cut off our communications with the South & ruin this Army. If they atemp that they will have to be whiped at any cost. I have no time to write any mor as Mr. Teague is about reddy to leaveYours as ever
Mike
(In envelope addressed: Ned Holmes Esqn Care of Dr. McGarity)
Camp on Ocoquon Jan the 30th 1862
Dear Ned
Dr. McGarity will leave in the morning. I write you a few lines. I have no news in the world to write. It has bin over a month since the date of my last letter from home so you see I dont know any thing about what is going on at home. There is no news here everything is perfectly quite. No talk of a fight since the 15th. I think the chancis for a fight here is closed plum out for this winter. You never saw such roads in your life. The artilery that belongs to our brigade is about 4 miles below here at Woolf Run Shoals. It was car(ri)ed down there about the 15th of this month in expectation of a fight & the roads are so bad they cant git it back only 4 miles. So you see the enamy cant git theres 20 miles to attack us if they wanted to. So I dont think they want to fight us nor I dont think they ever will fight another battle at Bull Run. I think there will be hard fighting in the south & perhaps in Kentucky this winter & spring. We are going to be hard pressed at every point next summer.
We have got a powerful Army now to contend against & it is going to take all our strength to keep them back. The goverment is trying very hard to git the 12 months vol(unteers) to reinlist for 2 years. A good manny are inlisting. 112 from our Regment has inlisted in an Artilery Company for 2 years & will leave for home in the morning on 60 days furlow. It is very important for the welfare of our Army & cause that the 12 months men should remain in the Army. They are drilled & tride, have become hardend to camp life & are not subject to camp diseais while recruts would have all these things to incounter. We have got in to the war & must succeed in establishing our indpendance or we are for ever ruined. There must be no backing down. Now we must go through let the sacrifise be what it may. I shall come home when my time is out but I dont know how long I shall stay there. I think this year shall decide our fate as a free people for ever & if I am needed in the next Campaign I shall not hesitate to enter the Army again, not because I like it, far from it, but from stern necesity & a duty that every man owes to our distresed country in this her grate time of need. Araing our crop to your own notion, do just as you think best. I will be sadisfide with whatever you do. The Dr. tells me you have had a heap of work done about my place, push along & do the best you can.
If nothing happens I will be home between the 20th & last of May.Yours as ever
Mike(Margin Note) Have my gun taken good care of I may need her yet.
Dear Mat
Dr. Mcgarity is in camp, got here on yesterday. I was proud to see him. He says he brought a letter for me but I have not seen it. He left it at the 15th Ala Regment near Manassas so I dont know when I will git it if I ever do. My last note from home was 28th of Dec 1861. I am completely out of hart about ever giting anouther letter from home. I have quit freting about it & dont care much whether I git a letter or not being over a month without hearing, I have got used to it.
The Dr. will leave our camp this eavning or in the morning & go back to the 15th. I dont know when he will leave for home, in a few days I prsume. Barnett has got well. I have not got my box from Manassas yet, I dont know when I will. The roads is so bad that there can be but little halling done over the road. The weather is bad, not very cold but raining & so muddy that it is almost imposable to git about.
My health continues to improve. I am about well. I went on duty for the first time since the 24th of Dec. I dont think I will have any more sickness. I have interly lost the the hang of things at home, it has bin so long since I had a letter.
The Dr. tells me that Mary has bin sick but that she is mending. He also tells me that Pufses health is improving which I am glad to hear. I dont know how the work is giting on, tho I know you are all doing the best you can. You wrote me some time ago to git some cotton cards. There is nothing of the sort here. Mr. Teague will try to git some as he goes home for you & I also wrote for Capt Gordon to try to git you some. Perhaps between both you may git them. There is no news here to write. We hear but little of the enamy of late. We have no apprehention of an attack here at this time. The roads are so bad that it is imposable for the enamy to advans. If we stay here I doubt whether we git to fire a gun befor our time is out. The weather dont git good here befor the middle or last of May but I still think we will be moved either to NC or the co(a)st of SC or Ga befor long. There I think is where the hard fighting has to be done this winter & spring. I cant think of any more to write. If you need any money let me know.Mike
Jan the last 8 oclock at night
(1862)
Dear Mat
The Dr. has not left yet. He will leave our camp in the morning. I am about as well as ever tho lack 30 lbs of being as heavy as I was when I left home. If I can have good health I hope I wont git to weigh as much as I have heterfore. I havent got the letter you sent by the Dr yet neither have I got my box that you sent me. When I git it I hope I will find a letter in it. No news to write. We have only 3 l/2 months to stay. The time will soon run off if the weather was so we could git about, the time would soon pass off --Candle out I must stop.
Yours Truly as ever
Mike[In an envelope addressed: Mrs Martha E Holmes, to be left at Mr. Bowerton, care of Mr. Culver]
Dear Mat
I have got your letter by Dr. McGarity. I was very proud to git one more line from you. I have also got the box you sent me. The things you sent me was all gladly recieved espeshly the Brandy. It was very good. I gave rite smart of it to the sick in our company. The ham was not hurt, I dont think. The sasusages is very good they lack sage. The eggs all came through same, not one broke. We have a good deal of sickness at this time, we report 20 to 25 on the sick list each day. There is seaverl that is quite sick. Those who are the worst off are George Newman, John Davis, Alic Balkum, Ed Ward, John Loman. There is none of the above named that is daigers yet but they are rite sick. Billy Walker is dangersly sick & I fear will not live many days. Direah is the prevailing deseas. I dont know when it will ever stop, we have new cases every day. I am well & hope I shall escape the prevailing deseas in camp. I have bin on duty several days & stand it first rate. I am not nearly so heavy as I was before I was sick & hope I want be. I am as heavy now as I want to be.Feb 28th /62
I comenced this letter seaverl days ago & thought at that time that George Roberts would git off home on discharge the next day but his papers failed to git fixed up so he has not got off yet but I think will in a few days. As I predicted on the 4th Billy Walker is no more. He dide this morning. I dont think the death of any one that was not connected to me that I regretted the death of as much as I did poor Billy. He was a noble boy but with all his good qualities death claimed him as its prize & there is none can escape when the destroyer comes. I pause to drop a tear of sympathy at the untimely death of the virteous boy & brave soldier & pass to new seens. His uncle Frank Culver will leave with his remains for home in the morning. I will send this letter by Mr. Culver. Capt Lightfoot is trying to git up a company for 2 years. He has got 25 out of the old company. They are allowed 60 days furlow. They will all be home in a few days. I did not inlist. I would like to be at home 60 days but I could not afford to sell out for two years for to git home now 60 days. My time will soon roll off now. I may go into the servise again but not till I come home & not then if we aint hard presed. If our state calls for her sons to defend her soil from the poulution of the foul invader I shall sertainly go to her rescue, if there is anough who has not rendered any servise & who are willing to take up armes I shall be proud to remain at home. If there is not I shall continue to render what servise I am able until1 our independence is acknowledged by the world or till the last Brave Son of the South Sleeps in Death. I git but few letters from you . I must close
Yours as ever Mike
Dear Ned
I write you a few lines to send by Morris if I git to see him. He left our camp this morning to go see about Will Fears. I am going to the 15th (ALA) Regment tomorrow to meet Morris & Will. Will is at Port Jackson fifty or sixty miles above Manassas on the Mannassas Gap Railroad. I think they will git back to Mannassas tomorrow nite. If they do I will see Morris again before he leaves for home. I recd a letter from you by Morris also one by mail, both the same day. From what you write & what Morris tells me you are giting along with the work finley. The land you speak of planting in corn for me if it rains will make abondans of corn. I want to make plenty of corn. Dont you think you had better swap off the old McRae mule if you can and git a mule that is faster in the plow. Planting such a heavy crop in corn will require fast plowing. Do as you think best about it. If you think best I would not mind paying a big boot. I leave this with you intirely. There is no news to write, Morris can tell you all about how we are giting on. We have dispatch from Bowling Green to night saying that our folks had whipped out the Yankees in a big fight. If that is so it is glorious news. A victory in that quarter at this time would help our cause grately. I fear the news is too good to be true.
You ast if I thought 4300 lbs of pork would be anough to do us. I think it is a plenty with care. I was glad to hear that our meat had kept so well. I feared that we had lost meat. I hope the oats will not take the rust. I want to make one good oat crop. Have the hogs taken as good care of as posable. Raising meat will be an important item next year. My candle is about out. The papers has come I must stop & read the news. I hope to hear good news from Kentucky.
I remain as ever
Mike[The news from Bowling Green, Kentucky was probably the attack on Fort Donaldson which on 2/14/62 was sucessfully defended by the Confederates; but the fort was surrendered on 2/16/62]
Dear Mat
Moris got to our camp day before yesterday. I was out on picket & did not git in till yesterday eavning. Morris left our camp this morning so I did not have long to talk with him. He is going up to Port Jackson to see Will Fears & will come back to the 15th Regment tomorrow nite. I want to go up to the 15th tomorrow and see him again before he leaves for home & send this letter by him. I did not have time to write before he left this morning. I recvd 4 letters from home yesterday, 2 from you & 2 from Ned. I am not very well, I have a slight case of direah tho it is not hurting me but little. The health of the camp has improved much for the last few days but I fear it wont last, the weather is too bad. We had a few days good weather & the sick all mended up fast but I fear the snow, sleet & rain we are having now will set them back down again. Jimmy Howerton's health is very bad & I dont see much chans for it to improve here this winter.
He has just had a chill here this morning & is quite sick. No news to write, Morris can tell you all the news about the camp. I was very much surprised to see Morris here. I would have looked as soon for Mammy as him here. I was proud to see him. He reports every thing going on rite at home which I am glad to hear. I have no ida of coming home till my time is out if I keep well. I might git a furlow now for 20 days if I wanted it, but I dont want to come home till my time is out. I dont know how long I will stay at home then. I hope it wont be nesary (necessary) for me to leave at all any more, but if it is I shal shurly go, but I shal not inlist til after I come home. I shal never inlist for 2 years, if the Goverment wont take troops for a shorter time than 2 years, I shall never muster in again. I have wrote all I can think of. Attend well to the gardin & cows, I want milk mity bad.Yours Truly
Mike
Dear Mat
I write you a few lines this morning, I dont know when I shal have the chans to write again. We are trebaley torn up this morning. It is understood that we have to leave here but where we have to go no one in the Regment knoes. We were notefide by the Co1 this morning that all the bagage we had that we could not tote must be burned when we had to leave. Me & Jim cant cary half we have got, in fact Jim aint able to carry him self. we will have to burn those coverlets we got from home. I have done them up & will try to express them To Ft. Gaines if I can but I think it doubtful. If we dont leave here in the morning I will write again tomorrow. I will write ever chans I git til we git settled again. I fear we will be compelled to give up this line & fall back God only knoes where. We are in hard fix here. I have had no letter since Morris came out. I think my hard when I cant git a letter once in two weeks. Keep writing to Manassas til you hear from me again, have no time to write more.Yours in Hast(e)
MikePS I expect to loos all my cloths accept what I have got on. I cant tote cloths & blankets both & I am obliged to carry two or three blankets along to keep from freesing. I will let you hear evry chans
M.
Camp on Ocoquon Feb 26th/ 1862
Dear Ned
It is now after 9 oclock at night, I dont feel like going to sleep so I have concluded to write you a few lines to nite as I think it some what unsertain when I have another oppertunity. We are very much confused at this time, we are expecting orders to leave here in the morning & we have no ida which way we will go. All we know is that we will not be able to carry our baggage with us. We were notifide by the Co1 this morning that it would be imposable to hall any thing but a few tents & cooking utinsels. That our blankets & cloths that we could not tote would have to be distroyed. Its a pretty hard case but we have to submit to it as cherfully as posable.
My gun & catridge box & one suit of cloths is as much as I can without ary blanket. So you see I will be in a bad fix to keep warm on a cold night with out ary blanket, tho I hope I will be able to fix up. I have made arangmnts to buy an old pony horse. If I git him I can pack all my blankets & Jims on him & carry them along. I am to give $20 fur him, of cars (course) when ever we are stationed again I will have to give him away or set him free but I had rather give $20 than see my blankets burn up & be without them,in fact me & Jim has got over $50 worth of blankets. It is imposable for us to know what is on hand, we hear the enamy is advancing on us. I dont think we are going out to meet them. I fear we are going to be forced to give up this line & fall back God only knows wher, we are in no condishion to fight here now. A grate many of the men & officers are at home, a grate many here sick. I hope we may be able to hold this line & if the men & officers that belongs here was at thier posts we could hold it aganst all the forces they could bring aganst it but as it is I fear the result of a battle at this time, but I for one am willing to fight them here at any odds. The weather is bad, it has bin raining ever since 12 oclock today. I will stop writing till morning, perhaps I will know then whether we leave tomorrow or not & which way we go so I will git to bed.
Friday, February 28, 1862
Camp on Ocoquon Feb the last/ 62Dear Mat
We are still on the camp on the Ocoquon, I dant know when we will leave nor whether we go. We have managed to git off the most of our bagage. Me & Jim shipped a trunk to Oringe Courthouse with our cloths. I kept cloths anough to chage, we shipped our coverlets to Lynchburg. Me & Jim has got 9 blankets left, we have bought us a pony to carry them on. We payed $20 for him. By having the pony along we can carry blankets anough to keep from freezing. My gun & cartridge box with one suit of cloths in my knapsack is as much as I can take without caruing ary blanket. The weather is bitter cold tho it has quit raining & very cold & windy. I think a few days now will develop what is the corrector of our present moovement whether we fight on this line or fall back we have no ida what a day now will bring forth. We are giting readdy now to do something, either fight or run, we dont know which.March 2nd/ 62
We are not gone yet. I dont know when we will. We have no news from the enamy, dont know whether they are advancing or not. We are reddy to move, our bagage is all gone back, only what the men can tote. I am tired of the state of unsertainy we have bin in for seaverl days. I want to know what we have got to do, whether fight or run. Our sick have all gone back, some to Manassas & some to Lynchburg. I have had no letter from home since Morris came out. There has bin no mail from the south for the last five days til last nite. I dont know what has bin the matter whether the rail road has bin out of fix or whether the grate rush to git baggage back has interfeard with the mails. I am anchus to git a letter from home. I have written 4 letters home in the last six days. I will write every day or ever other day till we leave here. If we do leave here there is a good deal of exitement now about our future moovements. Jims health continus bad, dont git any better. some days he is a little better & then wors. I have give up his giting well in camp at all.
I close yours as ever
Mike
[Gen J.E. Johnston ordered the Manassas Line abandoned on 3/10/1862 - The Army of the Potomac (as this Confederate Army was then known) was ordered to fall back and defend the line on the Rappahannock River]
Camp in Southeastern Mountains March 22nd/ 62
Dear Mat
For the first time in about three weeks I have some little prospect of giting a few lines off to you. We left our camp on the Ocoquon the eavning of 3rd (March). I guess we have marched about 75 miles south. We had a sevear time on the march, no tents & rain a plenty. We are now stopped about 5 miles from Orange CH & 15 miles from Gordonsville. How long we will stay here I have no ida. I dont know whether the enamy is following us or not. Our intir Army has fell back from Manassas & will make a stand between (here) & Richmond.
I have not seen Jim howerton since Rhappahanok River. His health was so bad he had to leave us & go on ahead. I got a letter from him yesterday. He is at Orange CH, his health is still bad. I got a letter from you by Mr. Curry. He met us at Culpepper C.H. My health is very good. I stood the march as well as any man in the Army. I managed to git one suit of cloths & blankets anough to make out on the march. The blankets we sent to Manassas to be shipped off, I guess are all burnt up. [See letter of 10/2/63 ] They burned a grate deal of baggage at Manassas before the place was evacuatid. I think we will be discharged a few days before our time is out. The new recruts will take our place twenty days before our time is out. I think then we will be discharged. I will write oftin if I have the time, but I tell you we are kept busy. George is well. I will try to write again tomorrow. If you write to me direct your letters to Orange C.H. , Va. I hope you will git this but I have but little hope you will. I am looking for Mr. Culver back. I hope I will git a letter from you by him.I must close
Yours truly
Mike
Camp in Southeastern Mountains April 2nd/ 62
Dear Mat
Luke got to camp last night & brought me a letter from you. I was very glad to hear all was well. I have no news to write. We are still in our camp in Southeastern Mountains. We are expected to be ordered further south every hour. I wrote you a few days (ago) about our starting & giting to Orange C.H. & then having to return to our old camp again. I am very tired of this place & shall hail with joy the order to leave. I dont care where we go so we git away from this place. I thought some time ago that we would be discharged a few days before our time was out. I dont think now we will. I think now we will be held to the last day. There is a good deal of exitement at this time about a rumer that the 12 months men will be presed into servis. I dont think there is any such thing contemplatid by the Goverment. I think the 12 months men will be discharged at the expiration of thier time, but I think they will be subject to be cauld out at anyday after they are discharged. I know the Goverment wishes to retain as many of the present soldiers as posable from the fact that they are more afficient than new recrutes but I have no ida they will use any force to keep them. None of the reinlisted men has got here but Luke. He left the rest in Richmond. I suppose they will be up today.
I got a long letter from Ned by Luke & will write him tomorrow. I am very sorry to hear the gardin is ruined. I never wanted vegatibles, eggs ckens & milk so bad in my life. George is well. I will write every other day while we stay at this place. The weather has bin very bad lately. The last day of March we had the heavest sleet we have had this winter.Yours truly
Mike(Margin Note) I got a letter from Jimy yesterday. He is still at Orange C.H. He thinks his health is a little better. I guess he writes home oftin. Direct your letters to Orange C.H. Keep writing whether I git them or not. I dont expect to git many moore.
[Mike was mustered out when his year was up about May 15, 1862 and returned home to Wesley and remained until June 1863]
[When Mike returned Ned had joined on April 12,1862 a company which was in the 25th Georgia Infantry. Ned joined Company E, Captain G. W. Holmes (no Relation) commanding. The 25th Georgia Inf. was formed in early summer '61 and mustered into Confederate service in Sept. '61 so it is believed the unit was already formed when Ned joined. There were at one time or another two companies from Henry County in this Regiment and both were at one time or another designated as Co. E. One Company to be designated as Co. E was nicknamed The Henry Light Infantry (not withstanding Georgia has a Henry County also); another was nicknamed Irwin's Invincibles whom Ned had watched march off to war on August 24th, 1861. The 25th Georgia Inf. was part of the 2nd Brigade, District of Georgia, and stationed at Savannah, Georgia in June, 1862]
Mat
I write you a few lines that leaves me tolerable well. I have a very bad cold and cough but it's better this morning than it was yesterday. I think I will soon be straightened out of that. I have heard no more of leaving this place. The order stands as it did when I wrote you before. I dont think we will leave here soon. There is a heap of sickness in the Reg't. but 9 cases out of 10 are measles. I believe yesterday there was 46 on the sick list out of our Company and all measles except 2 or 3. Dick (Knight) is about as I am, got cold and cough that everybody has immediately after going in the Service. Sim Cummins is in the same fix. Zack Bell is complaining a little. Thomas Fears is at the hospital. I dont know how he is. I haven't heard from him in 3 or 4 days. He has the measles. It rains here every day but we fare a heap better than I thought we could in tents. me and Dick are very well fixed up. I received a few lines from you and Mike dated the first and that is the last I heard from home. Write me all the particulars about the crop, whether you will save it all or not. If it rains there like it does here, I fear the grass will ruin the corn.Write soon & long letters.
Ned H.[There may be some confusion from here on as to who "Mat" is. Mike & Ned's Mother was named Martha; both Mike's first and second wives were named Martha; Mike's daughter by his first wife was named Martha and Mike & Ned's sister was named Martha Ann. We shall assume the Mat Ned writes to is his sister Martha Ann. Robbie Grimsley who transcribed all of Ned's letters from this point on says that Ned also referred to his sister Martha as Santanna. The family evidently used nicknames frequently as both Molly and Minnie are nicknames for their sisters.]
Camp Smith Near Savannah June 11th 1862
Friend Matt,
I drop you a few lines this morning which leaves me well but very uneasy on account of news I heard from home. Morris Noble came into camp yesterday morning and tells me that Pa is very sick indeed and that they dispatched for me to come home but I have not received the dispatch yet. I would very much like to go home but there is no chance for me to do so. They have ordered for all furloughs to be stopped for longer than 12 hours and our regiment is also gone to Charleston, (S.C.)- last Sunday night and has not returned. I would have gone myself but was a little sick from a bad cold and it was wet and raining and thought it imprudent to make the march. I think they will be back in a few days, Miss Matt. As Ned don't feel like writing he says for me to tell you about his case of measles. He has been pretty sick and is sick yet but has got through with the worst part. They have been broke out a day or two and I think is getting along fine. He takes good care of himself and has a good place to stay and a good bed to sleep on. You need not be uneasy about Ned. He will be up in a day or two and if he should get worse I will write every day. everything is dull in camp. write soon.As ever R.C. Knight
Early in the morning, 20th of June 1862
Mike,
As I did not get off my letter yesterday I write you a few lines this morning. I feel very well this morning. I am swole up powerful with mumps this morning but they give me but little pain. I am taking good care of myself. Perhaps you think I cant do that in camp but my tent is as dry as any --- house. last night we had 2 pretty hard storms & heavy raining and I never felt a drop of water or a breeze of wind. I managed to get my bed stead hauled from the old camp yesterday. It is as good a bed as I would want at home. I think I will improve all the time now. I want you to write me. I have not heard from you since you were on your way to Richmond. I don't know how I will like the move we made. I have not been out any since I came to this place. All I know is it's very level where we are camped.
Tell Sim's folks he is well. Dick is in good health. Be sure to write soon. Dick got letters from home saying that Reuben Fleming has been carried home. I want to hear about it.Ned
Dear Mike
I recvd your letter dated 26. I was glad to hear you was all well. I am not as well as I was when I saw you. 2 days ago my bowels was a little out of order tho not bad but just enough to keep week and not able to do anything. I am up all the time but dont have the strength to do anything. You need not be uneasy about me, if I git bad sick I will let you know. I think I will be able for duty in one or 2 days. Tell Mary she need not be uneasy about me that I can come home if I git sick much and I am going to do it. A sick man -- tese very depressing and can get a furlough here. I dont want one now, no use of going home. I would not go now if I had a furlough. I will write you all the particleurs that I can gather in a few days. I am writing every other day. I will until I get plum well. Morris and Simm Schick and Zuch is all well. I have no more to write at present.Write me often.
E. (Ned) Holmes
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