.NDU.NTE
[1]
Camp of the 142nd Regt near the main road to
Richmond from Williamsburgh June 17/63
Dear Sister
Your letter was recd yesterday
while I was on picket 1 mile from the main
road toward Richardsons Mills. June 11th 142d
Regt to the Division 1 Cavalry Regt & [two?] [batlions?]
came out here 8 miles from Williamsburgh. After
passing through W. Skirmishers were thrown
out and kept ahead of us all the way. At
12am. our Regt halted and the rest went on. Co
E were sent out on the left & secured the woods
and the other companies left as a reserve. At
sundown Co E was [taken?] to the right of the road
and stationed there during the night. The rem-
mainder of the Regt going on about two miles
Friday we remained were we were through
the night. Nothing occured during the day to
speak of only our [Agidant?] came up to
a Reble scout and brought him in a prisiner.
At night we moved along a short distince
and rested our men for the night. All was
quiet as could be. Saturday morning the
Division moved toward the Chickahomony swamp
21 miles from W. all but our Regt. Sunday
at 2 Pm the Regt camp up when we were
on picket and we fell in with them. We
went to Richardsons Mills 14 miles from
where we were expecting to find a small
force of the Rebs. but they had gone before
we came up and the men felt Disappointed
for coming so far and have nothing to do –
we waited an hour or more and retraced
[2]
our steps and came to where we started
from at ten oclock. Making the march of
28 miles in 8 hours. [?] [?] [?] [since?] was
seldom done. I felt some [tired?] when we stopped
but not much. Not a man fell out on the way.
It was cloudy and quite cool which [made?] a
great difference. You ought to be here and
see the fruit trees, of all kinds. Cherres are
ripe and the trees are as large as the
maple trees in front of our House. The Farms
here have all a good piece of corn planted and
[g...?]. Some field of corn there are 40 or 50
acres in it and when we go to the [Homes or Houses?]
we find them mostly deserted by the men
but the work shows they have been here and
left when we came. The bush whackers
as they are called are seen ocasionaly here
and supposed to be the inhabitents that live
here. Night before last some were concealed
in the woods where we were and were no
doubt trying to find out our forces. They
would not come near enough to give us a
chance to take them till last night when
one [?] the [wood?] and fence about
three [rods?] from the part I was on but
it was so dark I could not see him. [?]
[passed?] [?] [part?] from the one I was on
and the next one two [men?] fired at him.
He [?] in the woods and was soon out of
the way of all [?]. They are a [hard?]
set to capture as they are so well acqua-
nted with the country. I forgot to say
I was at a [parish?] House with 8 men
Guarding. have been here only an hour
[3]
or two. He has two good looking Daughters
and a servant woman but they are the
[...ingest?] of [?] and do not deny it
[?] [?] [?] [?] [settle?] the [?] to [?]
a rich mans home and every poor man
in the county leave his last pig and chicken.
The men made up our minds Monday
to [?] the [fat?] of the [land?] and thus far
they have carried it out. Turkeys, chickens
and sheep & pigs [?] [?]. Yesterday
I helped to kill a nice fat pig belonging
to the man I am now guarding and he
must [keep?] the [rest?] closed up or we will
[?] his eatbles. The first four days we
were out here we [fond?] [prety?] [hard?]. we
brought only two days rations with us and
small ones at that and Sunday when
we marched all we had after breakfast
until Monday morning was two hard tacks
[and?] then we [?] [our?] own rations
of the people here. To day we [?] two
days [?] and we may stay here
some time yet [I?] [g...?] may reports on
staying here. Some say we are making a
[?] to keep Lee from moving and
others say Lee has moved and is between
Baltimore & Washington and that we
are going in his [rear?] towards Richmond
but I have found the only way to tell
when such reports are true are when
they [have?] passed. We came out here with
only our Rubber blankets leaving our
knapsacks in camp expecting to go
in again in two days. We have no change
[4]
of clothes [nor?] anything we [need?]. I [went?]
out to get this paper of the [?] [sutler?] and
some envelops by [paing?] a good price. The
people here have plenty of corn and milk
and meat but no salt which makes it
bad for them. Salt is 20.00$ dollars per
[bush?] and sugar 1.00$ per pound coffee
2.00$ sugar 1.50::2.00$ for a bush of [?]
in confederate mone and about half in
our money [Liet?] Wheeler has just come &
says [both?] Lee and Hooker have moved [S?]
Hooker is in the rear of Le and they have
[?] another Battle and Hooker whiped him
but I do not believe it, only hope it is
true. Since we came out here I have
been very well and hope I shud [remain?]
so. [?] [?] is not very well. The
rest are [?] well. I have writen
this in a hurry and it is written is very
badly and hope you will [receive?] it. I
recd a letter from mother while out here &
two papers. Write as often as you find
time to and I remain your aff Bro
A B Tuttle
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