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Camp Merieidan June 11th 1861
Dear Father
nts
As I have a few mome to spare I take the plasure in writing afew lines to you. I receved your letter on sunday morning at day brake and was much supprised to here from you and was vary much pleased for I have not herd from home since I left the City. you must not think hard of me because I did not write before because I had no chaunce to write. I will tell you about our [g][overwritten] journey from Camp Gray untill wee arrive here. Wee herd on last Friday that wee was to leave the Camp on Saturday on Saturday morning we recived orders to have evry thing packed up rady for a moments notice and waitded orders untill three o ck in the after noon when the Aid-de-Camp brought orders to march struck the tents put our knapsack on and started wee had a vary warm time
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of it we arrived here about 6 o ck PM and was to glad to stop the distance wich wee march was about 8 miles there was a Reegment came out here in the for noon and there was some of them laying along the road drunk some of them lay in mudpuddles some lay on stone piles and such ahard set of human beings Inever saw but I am [proued?] to say that there was not one man of our Regment that got drun[k] on the way so that they had to stop on the road. wee have the best reccommendation of aney regment in this secsion it is considderd by evry body in the neighbourhood that wee re the best regment that has come along this way. Wee are encamped in alarge clover field about [200?] yards from the railroad this morning about 8 1/2 ock there was a regment of Cavalry with there Brass Cannons and there was about 1000 men there horses was in the cars and ahapyer set of men Inever saw they whare the Rehode Island Cavalry they have gon to Hagerstown and I think that in a few days wee will have some fiting to do in a few days for the Enimies picket
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guard is within 12 miles of us and I think that wee will moove from here in a few days. Wee are within a mile of atown called Greencastle I have not bin to the town yet for I would rather drill than to run to the town. Father you can tell more about whare to write to than I can tell you for you take the papers and you can tell best for wee move so often that I cannot tell but you must always put Scott Legion, Care of Capn Todd Companey F. The wather is vary warm here at presant and it makes some of the boys sweat. wee have had vary poor grub but they say that they are agoing to give us better grub but I dont know if you could let me have a dollar or two to by Eggs and such like wit[h] for there is plainty ofthem here. Eggs is 7 cts a dozine butter is 10 cts lb milk is 3 cts quart, and so thing
ce
is here and a dollar will make a wide differan to afellous liveing wee get salt port so fat tha[t] wee cannot eat it and hard bread. coffee for breakfast and supper. some of the companeys tak abarl of port and beauried it in the woods it was so bad that they would not have it
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Some of then has bin com plaining about the grub quit a considerable and i feel as if i could eat something good with out much trouble. I will write soon [arigan?] I am well and as fat as a pig off of such liveing as wee get here. If you havenot the money to spare I shall have to do without it but it would bee vary exceptible. give my love to mother and all the rest of the Cobb family you must write as soon as you can nomore at presant from you affectionate Son William t Cobb.
N B you tell [Zeakele?] Wills how to direct his letters to me W.T.C.
[Stamped envelope]
Samuel Cobb Esqr Mauricetown Cumberland Co N.J.
[postmark] Old Point Comfort VA May [?]
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Take this banner, and beneath The war-clouds encircling wreath Guard it till our homes are free – guard it – god will prosper thee.
Charlstown Va July 18th 1861
Dear Father
I recived your letter of the 13th day befor yasterday and was much pleased to here from home onst more for it has bin some time since I herd from home the last letter that I recived from Mauricetown I recived from George and Furm and that was dated on the 28th of June I thought that you had forgoten that you had a sun in the armey for it is the first letter that I recived from you since I belive about the first of June, but this letter that you sent me last done me more good than aney that I ever had from home. I was glad that you directted your letter as you did for
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it is a hard matter for solders to get letters for they stop on the way an[g][written over]d never reach us but the directtions that you put on your letter could not help reach me. it was a little [peice?] of poetry wich all hands took ntice of and said that it was pretty good. Wee left Williamsport on the 2nd of this month and waidded acrost the Potomic it was a bout 2 feet deep and wee crost with aney trouble and then proseedded towords Martensburg a dis tance of about 16 miles wee marched 9 miles [anothar?] day and encamped for the night. our encampment was whare the sesecionest had encamped that our division had the skirnish with they had left that vay morning perhaps you would like to here something about the scene that was on the field when wee come up. I suppose you have red an account of it in the papers but the scene in the field you have not, the first that wee saw was a barn and blacksmith shop on fire that had bin set on fire by the first shell that Cap Doubleday had throwen at the Rebble they burning to ashes and when the shell bursted a pice of it hit the roof of a house that stood a bout 50 yards off and knocked the shngles off at a grate rate the
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next sight was a sesessionest in a house that had his leg broken the next was a sesesciones with his arm shot off and the docter was a doing it up she was under a little apple tree on one side of the road and wee saw several of them a long the road that had bin shot by our musketry some had there knees hurt so that they could not get along and had to stop and bee taken by us the hardest sight that I saw amongst the whole was one of the sesesionest he had his head shot off by a cannon ball and he layed right along the woods ther was several more of the ded and woonde[d] that wee saw but it will take so much time to tell the whole story a bout them but the ded ones that was left in the road was beauried and the woonded was taken care of. the road was pretty well stained up with blood wich showed that there had bin some woork going on it was not a fair standing fight but it was a runing fight and that flying Artilary of ours done the work up [broun?] for us. if you had bin with us you would hve laughted to see how they tore the fences down to get clear of us the fences was torn down for 5 miles they retreatted
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in a vary disorderly manner. I will close riting about skirmish for you have herd the particulars before. the next morning after wee encamped 9 miles from Williams port wee proseedded to Martensburg and encamped ther for two weeks and then proseeded to bunkerhill whare wee stayed at night and the next day untill yasterday morning at 2 oclock and wee left ther for here a distance of about 25 miles and wee are here now and all right too Boot. feel in good sperits hopeing that wee will have a fight pretty soon. wee are within 8 miles of Harpers ferry and the field that John Brown was hung in is the next field to the one that wee are encamped in now. I shal have to close up pretty soon for I am getting tired of writing for wee dont have no writeing desk to write on here. I have wrote this etter on my knee wich is vary tiresome. give my love to mother and Ed, Call and keep a good shair yourself. you must not for get to write assoon as you get this nomore at preseant, tell Zeak & Scorp to write and tell them how to direct it. nomore on account of room from your most [dit..ifull?] son William T Cobb
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Direct your letter to the 20 regment 3 Bragade in Care of Cap G.W. Todd Com F Scott Legion dont but aney town on it or there will bee 2 cts more to pay when it arrives here. dont fore get to write and tell Zeak and Scorp to bee shure and write with out delay nomore W.T.C.
[stamped envelope]
7-18-61
[postmark] Ha.ers...n?] Md. [186..?] [Ju..?] [2..?]
Mr Samuel Cobb Esq Maurice town Cumberland Co New Jersey
