1862 October 9 Lexington, Ky.

   Lexington Lafayette coun Kentucky
                         October the 9th '62
Dear Parents
                       It is with pleasure
I seat myself this morning to write
you a few lines to inform you that
me & Cummings are well hopeing
when this comes to hand it will
find you all in the same state
of health Cummngs has got a
very sore foot he cannot wear his
shoe on it their come something like
a raison on the instep of his foot
he gets to ride on the account of it
we travail hear day and night we
marched last night untill about twelve
oclock, we have been for the last fore
or five days marching day and knight
we start by day light in the morning
and put up an hour by the
sun and get supper then strike
out again.  The boys calls our brigade

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the foot cavalry These Kentuckians
makes me mad enough to shoot them
Their is always some of the stuck up
in a bugy rideing backwards and
forward by us. While we are in pack
ing hear with great loads travailing
through the hot sun from plase to
protect them and their property. While
was a mt Sterling passed through
from cumberland gap to the ohio but
while they was going through old John
Morgan & Major Shawhorn killed and
took a good many of them general Martials
brigad even back as far as Owings
Ville.  Why he did not go on I cannot tell
after Morgan and Showhorn had left
the yankees and started back Shawh-
orn was shot dead by a bushwhacker--
Their was seven or eigh men along before
with Showhorn they tryed to catch
the bushwacker but he escaped

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Our men and the yankees had
a figh when in about a leven
miles from us whe heard the cannons
fireing. It is reported that our men
killed and took very near all of them
I been looking every day or too to get
into it but have never fired a gun
yet.  but we have done our share of
travailing on these acatmised rodes.
One of hour boys got  a letter this
morning he said his father wrote
that very near all of the hogs had
died in russell with the colery.  The
most and the bigest hogs I ever seen
tey have them down hear & mules
any amount of them. This is a
tolerable large town everything in it
that a person wants. shugar coffee
soda shoes boots & every thing else
but us privates cannot get out
of our encampment to get anything

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I have never heard from you
only by old Jacob fulkerson
since you left I would like
to get a letter mr fulkerson said
he though you had got a letter from
rieves and he was well.  we heard
that our men have washington
[?] the possession I would be glad
to know whether it is so or not
our forces hear in kentucky
are not fare apart. some at frankfort
some hear.  Charles M Browning sat
down this morning to wright home
he wrote about one hour and looked
over his letter and [word lined through] tore it
up and swore he never would
try to write another letter he
told me to write that he was well
William A Gilmer is well he is
guard to day or he would of wrote
Sarah Cumming has a little
ring he is a going to send you
no more at present but remain
your son C. H. Gilmer

Charles Hayes Gilmer, 29th Virginia, Co. G

MSS 5194