1861 June 30 Leesburg [Virginia]

Camp Evans

My Dear Creek

I again take the pleasure of writing
you a few lines, you will see by this that we have
changed our quarters, my company was ordered
to this station yesterday, to watch the movements
of the enemy, we are about three and a half miles
from the balance of the regiment, we have 35
Virginians with us and two cannon, we think
ourselves highly flattered by being selected from
the regiment, for this highly important station,
and should the enemy attack us at this point,
we will endeavor to give a good account of ourselves,
we are only about a mile or a little more from the
enemys camp across the river, I am having
Breastworks thrown up to defend the approaches
from the river and planting guns on them as
fast as we can, our Batteries are all concealed from
the view of the enemy and our encampment is in
a thicket in the woods so that you cant see either

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till you are right on them we have scouting parties
out to warn us of the aproach of the enemy and
a few minutes work will unmask our Batteries
and be ready to receive them in proper style,
I dont know whether I ought to write you this way
or not--but you know I promised to tell you that
all and hide nothing of my situation from you,
Although we are so close to the enemy our danger
is not much greater than further of, in fact not
so great, as we have a better chance of seeing them
here, and are better prepared to meet them.
I left Dugan and Jim at Camp Carolina yesterday
both well they both wanted to come with me
very bad, they are both well as I getting along
finely, I wrote a long letter to Father yesterday
which he will receive about the same time you
get this I gave him all the general news in camp.
I suppose you think I must be getting better on
the writing question, well whenever I have a hour
to myself and out of the bustle of the campt I cant
think of anything else but home, and I almost

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fancy that I am tallking with you all the time
I am writing, But Creek the mail came yesterday
and their was no letter from home in it for me.
I was very much disapointed when I did not hear
from you, it is now nearly 3 weeks since I heard from
you, and although I know that you are among friends
yet that does not satisfy me like without hearing
from you, I have read this morning every letter you
have wrote me since I left home, I often read them
whenm alone in my tent, I wrote you thursday last
and shall continue to write you three times a week
as long as I have an opportunity of mailing them
I would write you every day if we had the mails to send
How is our little darling Maggie, does she ever talk
of me now, have you ever had her amprotype taken
I should like to have it so much, you might find some
of the [?] perhaps coming out here and send it by
some of them, I never see a little girl but I think of
her and you dont know how it makes me sometimes
feel I never knew what it was to be a father till I left
home, I trust I may soon be able to return to you both
Your affectionate husband, William

William Anderson, 4th Regiment Carolina Volunteers (Palmetto sharpshooters)
MSS 10366