1861 Oct[ober] 17 Camp 4th Reg S., C. V.

My Dear Creek

When I wrote you last I promised to
write you next day, but circumstances placed it out
of my power to write you yesterday, as our tents and
baggage were all sent of and we were in the old
field with only what we had on our backs, and no
chance to mail a letter if I had a chance to write it;
last night however we were ordered to retreat without ever
seeing the enemy, and our Brigade with all of the others
fell Back again on Bull run, our Brigade is now
encamped (about two miles down the Run from where
Papa and I crossed it, when he was going home.) at
McLeans Ford, we have not yet crossed the Run but are
within three quarters of a mile from it, and should
the enemy attack us we will send all of our Baggage across
and give him fight here, or at Centreville which is only
about two miles in a advance of us, and held by Bonhams
South Carolina Brigade consisting of the 2d, 3d, 7th &8th South
Carolina Regiments: but we have come to the conclusion now, that
that[sic] the great fight is not going to take place at this pint
and we will have very little to do with it for the present-only to
maintain this position and send support to either of our wings
that may be attacked, Our Scouts report that our enemy
have not yet availled themselves of an inch of the ground

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which we have abandoned, so that now they are at least
sixteen miles from us, and if they knew what was good
for them they would not approach much closer, as we are
prepared to give them a worse whiping then they got on the
21st of July, without incuring half of the danger ourselves,
so I hope you will cease to feel uneasy for our safety for the
present, and should anything happen to make me thing
we are in imediate danger I will let you know, I have no
doubt some of the men may write home that we are all still
expecting a big fight and all that sort of thing, but do
not give yourself any trouble about it, as I will always let you
know in time, and my chances of knowing are as good as
any in this Regiment, but what I know I have to keep to
myself and you must not let even what is in this short
letter go outside of the Family.

Dear Creek I hope this may reach you in good time
for I can guess the state of mind you are in, since you
received my last letters, but do not give way to despondency
the cause in which in which[sic] we are engaged is a just and
noble one, and Heaven has hiterto smiled upon our
humble endeavours, to assert our rights, let us still rely
on him for protection from our enemies and I feel
confident that a happy future is in store for us,
I am again comfortably quartered in my tent, and just in time
to escape a very heavy rain, which is now falling. William
is well and sends his love to you all, I have not had a letter
from you in several days but I must not complain as your
very kind in writing so often, Good night Kiss our Darling little
Maggie for me, and believe me yours
William

William Anderson, Captain, Co. J, 4th Regiment S. C. Volunteers (Palmetto Sharpshooters)

MSS 10366