Tate, Jeremiah M. (fl. 1829-1877) to Dorcus and to his sister

Orange C H Va Aug the 7th 1863
Dear Cousin Darcus
to pass a way afew of the lonely and desolate minutes [inserted: of a camp life] I have cum to the conclusion to write you as thare is nothing that I can think of that wood afford me more pleasure than to converse with you by letter as I kno that it is imposable to speake verbaly, if I was only permitted to spend afew days at home I cood tell you of many little instances that has ocured in the army since I saw you that wood amuse you and make you laughf, and I am sure that you cood interest me for several hours in telling the nuse of the flat woods how you and your sweet hart has bin gitin along, I am in hopes your little blu2 .25d2 [struck: Bob] Robast was not hurt at the late fights, tho I think if I was you I would [slay] all my sweet harts that is in the western army unless they wood fight better it looks like they fight to git whipt [strikeout] the Northern army [inserted: of Virgina] fights to whip and never git whipt they had ought to be a shamed to give up to the yankes so soon and then more than that, now
they belong to us for we had to buy them back with the Prisnors that we have taken, you giles tell them if they donte do better the next time that you will never speak to them again and I will assure you that they will fight like heroes in the next battle, as soon as I git sum paper I will send you a song ballot that will soot there case presisley, You must [strikeout] write to me soon and tell me all about my sweet hart and how she is giting along and if thare is any one going to see hir god bless hir I do with that I cood see hir this evening I am sure that I wood make her say yes or no before the sun went down
Write soon Yours truly J285 [strikeout] J1T2

[written in top margin of first page in pencil]
You must make allowances for my jokes and look over bad writing and correct misstakes

[2]
Orange Court house Va Virgina Aug the 6th /63
Dear Sister
I seat my self this morning to reply to your kind favor which came to hand afew days ago, the date of it was July the 16th it had bin long and anxiously looked for, when received its pages were carefully perused and its contents read with pleasure beyond expression I had cum to the conclusion that you had forgotten me. or that there was sumthing grately the matter as I had not received but two letters from you since the first of may, and I am sure that I have writen ten or adozen since that time when I was in Pennsylvania I writen every time that I had any chance to send a letter off I writen one to Dorcus and also one to ma but I have never received any answer to them I had said that did not intend to write again til I recived aletter from sum one of the family. I received aletter from Tilda & Becca afew weeks ago and wood of answered it before this time but we have bin on the march all the tim and having no paper I concluded to wait till sum more leasure time, my chance is very bad about writing at presant and has bin ever since the fight at Gettesburg thare I lost my napsack and all my paper so you see I have no convenient way of carrying sutch things, Durin our stay in Pensylvania and Maryland we had a fine time til the fight cum off which occurd on the first second third and fourth of July the fight open on the first about one oclock P.M. Rodeses Division being in front of course had to open the fight and his old [3] Brigade was the first that cum in contact with the enemy and his old Regment that is the old fifth Ala was the first to attack and sufferd more than all the Brigade put to gether we marched thirteen miles in quick time that morning and was rushed in to the fight without resting, the wether being very warm many was broke down before going in to the fight, we succeded in driving them sum two miles that evning our Regment was no engaged any more only skirmishing but was under hevy fire of shot and shell two days that was the second and the third, the enemy comenst retreating the night of the fourth and our army on the morning of the fifth we fell back to Hagerstown in Maryaland, hear we staid several days waiting them to attack us, but they crost the Potomac at Sheperds town and aimd to git between us and Richmond General lee then crost the River at Williamsport and came back to Darkeville hear we rested several days then came to frontroyal on the twenty third of July hear we had another fight in the blue ridge mountains at the Manassas gap Wrights Brigade had bin fighting all day Ewells Corpse arrived thare about three oclock in the afternoon formed the line of battle soon after we had taken our position the enemy made a charge and cuming in contact with the right wing of our Brigade, thare was [struck: a] volley after volley of musketry poured in to their ranks that soon put them to flight and they fell back in confusion skirmishing was kept up til dark by the sharpshooters [4] about nine oclock that night we came back to Front royal past through the town four miles camped, we marched thirty one miles and fought a battle that day we only lost one [inserted: man] from our regment in the fight Wrights men [inserted: suffered] severely we came down the valley to [Luray] then crost over the mountain at Thorntons gap and cum to Orange C H hear we have bin for several days, but we kno not what moment that we will have to march, we have marched solong [inserted: and] so far [inserted: til] it don't seam rite to stay in camps, we git plenty to eat sutch as beef and bread and occasionaly bacon and sum few vegetables and we gether black buries by the bushels, rosen ears has not cum in yet, but I think that we will try them soon, them I intend to live high for afew days Crops looks fine in the moste of places that I have bin, I was truly glad to hear that there [inserted: was] sutch [inserted: a] fine prospect of good crops in old Pickens for [inserted: I] kno it is very mutch neaded I wish that I cood be thare to day as I was this time last year, but I see no chance to git thare soon. I went out five or six miles in the country [inserted: yesterday] and got and got a fine vegetable Dinner it minded me so mutch of home last night I had eggs and butter for supper to day one of my mess mates has just cum in with three nice yong turkeys, you can imagine what a fine pie I will have this evning, you must excuse my short letter this time as it has bin put up in grate haste give my love to all the family, [struck: tell] and [conection] and my sweet harts so nothing more for the present Jerry M Tate
[written at top margin of fourth page in pencil]
You stated in your letter that you thought the rebels was whipt if they wood only anon it I beg leave to differ with you, the boys of old Virgina has never bin whipt yet and that is not all they do not apperehend any danger