1862 June 15 Banks of the Chickahominy River

          In Camp on the Banks of
the Chickahominy June 15th/62
Dear Mother
                 I joined the regt last
Wednesday night, am tough and
hearty. The weather is awful hot
here we lay as still as possible
in our tents all day, and we
sweat some at that I tell you,
We are on the reserve so that
we do not have much hard
duty to do only to be ready to
march at any time to any
place where we may be
needed, Our whole division was
turned out day before yesterday
by one of the Gorilla bands
making A rush at our wagons
and capturing some, but there is
a regt of infantry and a battery after
them. We are on a pretty Camping

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ground here, on top of a hill
with as good a spring of water
as ever I drank the best with
one exception I have drank in "Ole

Virginny" What do you think of the
great naval battle at Memphis
it was a grand thing was it
not a regular butting game
There is ot much news here now
of imortance as everything is quiet,
not 1/10 part of the firing here they
were at Yorktown the 29th Mass is
somewhere in this neighborhood
I suppose but dont know where
I saw them as they went through
the White House and saw
Wm Henry I have one or two
little things that I wish I could
send home but have no
chance, one is a piece of the
stone that stands where Cornwallis
delivered up his sword to Washington
It would have all been broken to

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pieces if they had not put a
guard on it, I had about as
mush as I could do the evening
I got here to read letters of which
I found a pile, how do you
like your new neighbours, aint
you sorry [?] Pennys folks have
moved During the week that I
was at the White House about 10
regts came there going on to Richmond
It would make you think it
was hot to look in here and
see me writing with my pants
unbuttonedand slipped down
over my knees and see the
sweat roll off of me
But I must close as I have
one or two more to write today
Give my respects to Aunt Abby and
all inquiring friends and take
my love yourself
             From you aff son
                  Wm Wallace

envelope addressed to:
 Mrs E. Smith
  Newton Lower Falls
             Mass

William Wallace Smith, Private, Co. B, 22nd Massachusetts
MSS 15360