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Richmond, VA. Sep [310?]th 1865

My dear Colonel,

Just before leaving Baltimore I wrote to you; intending to bring the letter to this place. but unluckily it was left behind. I received your package when here on my way to Baltimore I believe the day after you left the city for Williamsburg. You gave me no account of the letters. Have they been published? If not [right?] I to notice them? Please give me you opinion on that point & when you write that opinion add some topo- graphical information for my benefit. How far is Magruder's [line?] of works from the town? How Many re- [doubts?] are in that line, & what is their ordinary size? How large is Fort

Magruder? How far is the edge of the woods towards Yorktown & Lee's Mill, from the line of [Cedoubts?]? Are there any rifle pits in the open ground between the works & woods? MoClellah claims to have found above a thousand wounded left by us in Williamsburg in hospitals & private houses. Dr Cullen reported to me at the time that the number to be left was about 400. Can citizens of Williams- burg give any information on this point? Had they any thing authen- tic [ceremony?] the federal [lopes?]? I stopped here to try to find pa- pers that might be useful, such as reports. None are to be had however- except those of Gen e Lee's operations. I want particularly Longstreets & Hill's reports of the affair at Williamsburg & those of the battle of "[seven?] pines." I hoped to get some of them from Longstreet_ But it seems that he is

in Texas. Tyler is out of Richmond, too. I expected that he might be able to help me. I was greatly disappointed not to see you here. My object was to inflict upon you the reading of some fifty or sixty pages of foolscap_ Manuscript. There is tobean election on tuesday of a President of the Danville [jail?] and Company. Some of my friends here [?] luckily there are not more of them [?]are trying to have me chosen_ their ef- forts have my best wishes. Not be- ing a politician or electioneer, my chances are very slight. If there were any expeditions made of [traveling?] to Williamsburg I'd pay you a visit.

Yours truly J.E. Johnston

Col: Ewell