Washington, June 7, 1864.
Dearest Abiah,
Still in Washington. Shall not probably get away this week. Have no news to write. The battle still rages around Richmond, for it is an almost continued battle. There were many wounded brought in yesterday and this morning. I saw long trains of ambulances going to the wharf for wounded, but no returns are published yet, only the names of some of the officers. Lieut. Col. Henry of the 10th is wounded. I expect there will probably be a list of the wounded in the morning papers. If I see any names that I know I will send a paper. The hospitals here are getting pretty well cleaned out, some die, some go home on furloughs, some are going back to their Regiments. There are many hard cases yet in the hospitals. Mr. Loring’s son died yesterday. The diarrhoea set in, and he was so low that he sunk under it. I have not seen Mr. Loring since I wrote you last. Capt. Lillie died last night, and Capt. Hurlburt will hardly live through the day. The weather is still very favorable to the wounded. There is now a mail established to the White House. A boat leaves here every morning. It takes about 24 hours to go from here to the White House, and three boats are put on.
I had the bad luck to lose the needle book that Catherine sent me and all the money I had and postage stamps. I sat at the table writing to you. The newsboy came in with a paper. Some of the boys wanted it and had no change. I took out the needle book and got some change for the men, and remember holding it in my left hand while I was writing. I sat there and finished the letter and wrote two more. Went down and put them in the letter box. Soon thought of my money. Put my hand in my pocket and found it gone. I suppose I laid it on the table and some one appropriated it. I had in all seven dollars. Five were money that I had borrowed for John Better when at Brattleboro and he came back when I was gone with recruits and he had been sent on to Washington. I had seen him here and he had paid me. It was a pretty serious loss to me. Henry Newcomb let me have some money this morning and I have invested fifty cents in postage stamps, so I am all right for writing again. I received a telegraph dispatch from Ephraim today, informing me that mother is dangerously sick and that he would write to me. This was sad news indeed. I have written to him tonight. If I get any news I shall write to you. I am anxious to hear from Zopher, but must wait patiently. The whole world is trembling with anxiety. There are great issues involved, and everyone that can fight ought to fight, and those that cannot fight ought to pray. I know they do. You ask why I am so anxious to fight. I am not anxious. If.. I should be extremely glad if there was no more fighting to do, but I count one in the old Vermont Brigade and am doing no good there. I wish that there were enough coming on to fill up their thinned ranks. I shall not ask you to write as often as I do. I now have an opportunity to write and mean to improve it. When I leave here cannot write as often, but shall write as often as I can.
Your own,
Charles.
