Kelly, James R. (fl. 1861-1862) to Mary Kelly

20 July 1861, Camp on Cheat Mountain
Dear Mary
You will see by this that we have not changed our camp since I wrote you last. It is thought we will remain here for sometime if this miserable State had been Subjected to a topographical Survey, a more miserable Spot could not be found for an encampment.
We are in a narrow Valley, between high mountains on the East & West, the hills completely covered with Sand Stone. When one of our Senators remarked not long since to a Southern gentleman that when God made Virginia he ? the whole State, there was no truth than poetry in the remarks. Five of my sick men I left at Indianapolis came into Camp yesterday among them Nathan M Neeld, John Rader & three others. I still have 11 men behind Sick. 4 men at Indianapolis, 5 at Billain, & one at Buckhannon. The other men are all in camp with me. I have just left the dinner table. Our bill of fair consists of boiled beefs, Buck Wheat Cakes made of yellow meal & Ohio flowers mixed, pilot bread, hard as flint. Coffee with Black with Sugar, But (no) cream. We call this excellent fair & it is much better than we had a week ago. I went out on a foraging expedition yesterday. Walked some three miles from Camp. Called at every house we could find, but the only thing to be found for sale was our bucket full of yellow meal & our gallon of sour milk, no butter to be had at any price. I bought the mild & paid the lady 50 cts for it. One of the men bought the meal, 20 ctc for a small tin bucket full. The people have nothing to sell in this poor miserable country. It is as much as they can do to live. When I wrote you last I was not so well, I had something like flees. I took 2 small powders from the Surgeon & used the wine you sent to me freely and I am as well ever, I never had a better appetite in my life. I can't get enough to eat. Lieut McCollough is in the same critical condition. I have held my own better than either he or Lieut. Slocum. We ? all weighed today McCollough weighed 148 lbs. Slocum 188 & I pull down 120, which was not far from my weight. When I left home, all of us have lived hard ever since we came into this State & some of them look badly. Our Regiment is still divided. Col. Kimball with 6 companies are in camp on the top of cheat Mountain 8 miles east of our Camp, there are three companies of us at this Camp & our company at Huttonville, three miles east of us. At our Camp there is two Regiments. One from Ohio & the 15th Indiana, One Cavalry Company & one full Company of artillery. So you can see we are strong enough to resist a heavy force. When I wrote you last, it was then thought there was not one armed ? west of the mountains, but since then our men have been convinced by Sad experience that it was a mistake. On Tuesday morning last, 6 of our Cavalry Company were out on a Scout on the Staunton Road & when they had gone three miles on the ?aleganies? & twelve miles east of Col. Kimballs. They were fired at by 18 or 20 men, conciled in the bush near the road, killing one of our men & wounding three others badly. They then fled into the Brush & could not be found. Our men have been now cautious since this little occurrence. In one of my letters, I gave you an account of the Battle at Rich Mountain which was then correct as for as known, but our men continued to find dead & crippled men in the woods & thick bush for three days after the Battle. The total number killed & died since the battle is 231 & as many badly wounded. The loss on our side was 11 killed dead & 30 wounded, 12 mortally, since dead, you will perceive that this was no small affair, especially on the side of the Enemy. They suffered most severely in the loss of men, besides nearly everything they had in camp, as I told you in a former letter. Since I wrote you last, General Morris has routed them at Laurel Hill with considerable loss and we have a report in camp this evening that Richmond has been taken, but I can't vouch for the truth of the report. We can't get any news here in the mountains except what comes into Camp by army Couriers, no papers reach our Camp, except in that way. I would be glad to see a late copy of the Cincinnati Gazette, or most any other paper. I use the last Stamp I have on this letter, there's none in Camp & none to be had in the Country, so this is the last letter I can send you until we can get some stamps. When you get this letter, I want you to invest one dollar in Stamps and send them to me in a letter, that is the only way I can think of to get them, if they can't be had in this way I can't write any more to anyone. I think it a strange thing that we can't get such things here, as I told you in a former letter there is no mail in this miserable God forsaken country, hence it is that stamps can't be had here, another one of my men came into Camp. Since Commenced this letter I still have 9 sick men behind. I doubt if we ever get them all together again. I think some of them will die, I am sick of measles & mumps. It seems as if we can never get clear of these hateful diseases. They still have those diseases in camp. We drill here twice each day, one half of our men are on guard every night & they stand guard here in earnest. The picket guards are sent two miles out from Camp, don't fail to write me on Receipt of this & send me a late paper, love to all at home, Remember me & kiss Siss, yours, J.R. Kelly