DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | Charles Arad Gates letters, 1861-1863 | 1862-05-18 Charles A. Gates to Mr. & Mrs. Arad Gates Page 1

Transcribe
Translate

1862-05-18 Charles A. Gates to Mr. & Mrs. Arad Gates Page 1

Cumberland, Kent Co., VA May 18, 62 
  Dear Father and mother, 
                  as I do not heare from you yet I will write again. I have wrote 3 time here and at camp scott but have had no answer but now I will try again.  I am well now but have been sick about ten days.  I had the billeous fevor.  We started from camp scott 2 weeks ago tomorrow early in the morning.  I was not fit to go but I toll the captain that I did not want to go to the Hospital and I would go along.  We started early in the morning and it did not rain but poured down like watter from a mill dam.  We went as far as Yorktown and stoped and rested there on the field where Cornwallis surrended.  While we were there 2 of our boys came very nere getting killed by one of the torpedoes that was put in the ground it was a 13, inch shell it exploded but did not hurt them but it was a great wonderment - it did not after that We were very careful. We counted 13 of these big shell under a tree where there was a shell there was a little fine stick stuck in the ground.  while we were there the battle at Williamsburg commenced that is 12 miles from Yorktown.  We got orders to move on.  We traveled till 12 a clock at night and it rained all the time.  We stoped in the middle fo the road and left our horses standing and lay down and staid till morning and then the rebels had 
run away from Williamsburg and we were ordered back to Yorktown.  We staid there till last Sunday and then they got orders to move on

Saving...

Cumberland, Kent Co., VA May 18, 62 Dear Father and mother, as I do not heare from you yet I will write again. I have wrote 3 time here and at camp scott but have had no answer but now I will try again. I am well now but have been sick about ten days. I had the billeous fevor. We started from camp scott 2 weeks ago tomorrow early in the morning. I was not fit to go but I toll the captain that I did not want to go to the Hospital and I would go along. We started early in the morning and it did not rain but poured down like watter from a mill dam. We went as far as Yorktown and stoped and rested there on the field where Cornwallis surrended. While we were there 2 of our boys came very nere getting killed by one of the torpedoes that was put in the ground it was a 13, inch shell it exploded but did not hurt them but it was a great wonderment - it did not after that We were very careful. We counted 13 of these big shell under a tree where there was a shell there was a little fine stick stuck in the ground. while we were there the battle at Williamsburg commenced that is 12 miles from Yorktown. We got orders to move on. We traveled till 12 a clock at night and it rained all the time. We stoped in the middle fo the road and left our horses standing and lay down and staid till morning and then the rebels had run away from Williamsburg and we were ordered back to Yorktown. We staid there till last Sunday and then they got orders to move on