Thursday morning, Sept. 8th. I am here still in the old place, after cleaning up our company street, carrying off beef bones, scrap of beef that could not be eaten and bushels of cobs, husks, apple pearings, and had bean pods (you see there is plenty to eat). Those of us that could not draw the charges from our guns went out and fired them off. Was wiping out the gun when Zopher came over to see me. He is looking extremely well. Looks fresh and in good flesh. Was very glad to see him. The report is that the Johnnies are reported to have left, but I never put any confidence in reports after the fight on the 21st of August I was quite unwell until the next Friday morning. That morning I got up all right. My legs were so sore that I could hardly step. It was not running, for I could not run. How I got along with Josh Stickney through that fire I shall never know. He is a heavy man but kept to his feet, or at least did not fall. He is doing well. I was very billious. Sent to the Ferry and got a bottle of bitters which did me a great deal of good.
I think I wrote to you about having my knapsack pillaged. I lost my needle book and all that was in it. Will you tell Joseph to send me a plug of Navy tobacco; cannot get it here short of $1.50 per plug and not good at that. I believe the postage is but 8 cents. There was a man in the Regiment that received a plug a few days since and the postage was 96 cents. I suppose Joseph will know how to send it. I do not. Have been mustered for two months more, and have got the arrearages in this time.
One night as we lay at Hall Town Tinkham waked me and told me to get up and fix the tent, as it rained, and the wind would blow down the tent. It was the night of the 25th of August. I looked out and told him I was glad of it, for we were to have no more marching in the hot sun and dust. “Why?” he said. I told him Fall had come. He laughed at me about Fall coming in Virginia in August, but in the morning many remarked the change and it has continued ever since. The weather cool and nice with frequent rains. Election day was as much like any such that I have seen in Vermont, cool, raining not very hard and the wind blowing, just such a day as make the plums fall. The season here is very backward. There is not half the corn here hard, in many fields there is none hard. It has not been much cultivated, and the drought here has been excessive. On the night of Sept. 1st I was on Brigade Guard at Charlestown and in the low places at the spring there was some Sullendine and it was nipped some. This is the greatest country for thoroughwort I ever saw. I have seen acres of it. There is some in every low flat place, and this is a great place for good great springs I ever saw. They are not very plenty, but there is water enough runs from them to make a large brook. Oh! This might be as fine a country as the sun ever shone upon. The timber is nice but I did not see any kind of what we call soft wood tree from Harper’s Ferry until we got to Cedar Run. There I saw a few pines, and a great many red cedars, some of them large, borrow Frank Leslie’s illustrated paper of Sept. 10th, there is one in the company but I cannot get it. There is some views in this valley that are very correct. The one at Cedar Run is excellent. After crossing the creek we went towards the mountain with the notch in the top square to the right of the other. I went all around the foot of that mountain and washed myself in the creek many times. Get it by all means. Get Joseph to get it for you. I will look out here and see if there are any more views that I am familiar with. The Middletown view is very correct. The Winchester is not where we went.
It is clouding up and is cool. I expect we shall get great quantities of rain this Fall, but let it rain if we do not have to march. Thanks to the wheat stacks, we have plenty of good wheat straw to lie on unthreshed (It is too bad). I went out the other morning and the boys had just commenced on five large stacks. One was all gone that was dry and the others were going fast. This is war, but on the pillageing this is not the worst. I have mentioned it before; saw much of it on the Snicker Gap expedition. Since Gen. Sheridan came in command things are different. There is no pillaging of houses unless by orders. There have been a good many houses burnt and stacks of hay and grain, but it has been done by order. Cattle, Sheep and Hogs have been taken in great quantities. The people cannot winter in this valley. There will be nothing left if we range over it. Much more wheat is taken from Union men. They will get pay for it when it is done by order.
You ask who Co. Hale and Major Dwinnell are. Hale is the Lieutenant Colonel of this Regiment. He is from Troy. At the commencement of the war was teaching school in Maryland. Major Dwinnell is our major. He was from Glover and is dead. The Regiment lost a Col (Barney) two Majors (Crandall & Dwinnell). Lieut. Col. Hale and Adjutant wounded this summer. The men from this company wounded are doing well, though three were very severe, much more severe than the Majors. I have not heard of any of the wounded men from our Regiment dying. The health of the army is now excellent. The old boys say that they never knew it so good. Oh, did I tell you that I got a letter from you and one from Mr. Baxter the 6th. Have had no mail since and no chance to send letters, but probably we shall get a chance today or tomorrow. I was intending to say something about that commission, but I have got to close this. In my next will talk that matter all over. There is enough that I think of now to write to fill two more sheets.
Charles.
This fall weather gives me such an anxiety to be at home, as I can hardly resist. Could not if there was a possibility. All summer have had so much to do that could enjoy rest more. Am tired of rest and have time to think of home. It is at such times as this that this home feeling takes hold of the strongest. Write often. Don’t forget the Tobacco as I am nearly out.
Charley.
(Written perpendicularly on the 1st page, at the top)
