1862 May 29 Camp near Charlestown Va.

Camp near Charlestown Va
May 29th 1862
Dear Kate
I received your kind
letter some time ago I suppose
you think I have forgotten
you entirely as I have been
so long in answering your
letter.  Indeed we have hardly had
time to wash our clothes for the
past two months you seemed to
think when you wrote to me last that
the valley was almost gone but
thanks to almighty God we have
been able to drive them out thare
is some in Harpers ferry yet we
attacted them on the 23rd & have
been fighting less or more every
day since we have entirely routed
Banks army I think that we have
taken about 3 thousand Prisoners

[page 2]
all there Bagage & government
stores our Brigade was ordered to
Charlestown yesterday we left Win
chester early in the morning & marched
eighteen miles by the middle of the
day the enimy ware drawn up in
line of battle & opened fire on our
skirmishers we ran up four or five
pieces of artilery & fired on them
they fired five times & commenced
retreating throwing of thare blank
etts canteens & hafersacks we
run them for four or five
miles the boys say we run them
into thare den in the ferry we
captured fifteen prisoners thay
fired some large guns this mor-
ning we could see the smoke thay
seemed to be on the Virginia hights
& the hills of Boliver I expect
we will we will march on them
this evening as two more brigades
came down this morning

[page 3]
I never seen people so rejoiced
as we come in one end of Charles
town & the enimy going out of
the other the people Cherred us
& told us that thare doors ware
open & ready to recieve us
the ladies asked us why we did
hollow we told them it was again
st orders, thay said we were will
doo the hollowing & your all
will doo the fighting that citiz
ans kept asking whare was Jackson
we told them we left him in
Winchester we cheered Gen Win
der yesterday for the first
time the men do not like him
much because he is so strict
the merchants have a full
stock of good & sell them
cheep I think coffee is a 1/2[?] per
lb. sugar the same thare is
plenty of all kinds of goods
I must bring my letter to a

[page 4]
close as we have orders to moove
my health is not very good
at present but on account of
a verry bad cold I hope this
may find you enjoying the
blessings of health nothing
more but remaining your true &
untireing friend
W F B
P.S. you will please write
soon


William Francis Brand, 1840-1932,  of the Augusta Grays, Co. e of the 5th Virginia Regiment, to his future wife Amanda Catherine Armentrout.


MSS 11332