1862 July 16 Camp Stuart

Camp Stuart  July 16 82
Dear father I embrace the present
oppertunity of writing you a few lines
to let you know that I am well and
I hope that those few lines may find
you all well and enjoying the comforts
of the world farther I have now knews
to write  to you more than hard time and
I supose you know enough of them I
reckon you have herd from boyds men
and the untimely death of Brother Alex
I have never bin able to learn anything
about the boys more than what we could
here in papers and that want much we
are down on the river where we cant
here eny thing, I hope you have bin
able to learn all about the boys as
the wounded now gon home and you
must write me all the knews and let
me know what you have herd about
Alex and James farther I want to come
home some time in august if I
can get of I dont know now if
it will be but I will come up I can

[page 2]
I would like to come the best in
the world and stay 10 or 12 days
when the apples get ripe but
from all accounts we will have
to be fighting about that time as
the yankees are reported to be coming
back up the river again I dont care how
soon for I will get and get revenge
out of them for killing my brother Alex
farther we have not drawed eny money
yet and times are verry hard I wish
this cruel and unjust war was at an
end for I am getting awful tired of
it but I dont want it to wind up until
I can get a chance to kill one and I
think I will get act chance soon if
to days report is true but we cant
here the truth from here to the
spring to say you life but I am
living in hopes to see the yankees
whiped out of our land and then I
can return in quietness but not until
then do I want to come stay eny length

[page 3]
of time I saw a man since I
began to write who said Jake was
well I want to go and see him in
a short time we have had a hard
time but none of our boys got hurt
thought he yankees had us between
their gunboats and land baterys
and they coverd us up with their
shells but owing to the high bank
of the road they did not hurt eny of
us nor none of our horses though I
thought they had killed all of us
one time they trowed some bums
at us that weighed 140 pounds farth
farther you must write me all
the knews and send me some
tobacco by the first good chance
have  I have no knews to write
you giv my love to all the family
and receive a portion for yourself
be shore and write soon give
my love to all my friends
and relation

[page 4]
nothing more but remain your
devoted son until death

Fred Johnson

Could not identify Fred Johnson though a man  by that name later served in the 14th Virginia Cavalry organized in September 1862

Letter collected by the late Atcheson L. Hench, University of Virginia professor of English, who was fascinated by its phonetic spelling and what it revealed about the spoken language

MSS 8474-ab