Camped Near Warrenton Va. Nov. 9th 1862 My Dear Brother Once more you see I write from Va. the Armey is on the advance and Rebesthis time, since I wrote to you last we have traveled some 80 or 90 miles Southward. we crossed the Potomac at Berlin Md. just below Harpers Ferry and are now some 60 miles from Berlin and five miles from the Rappahannock River. So you see we are near our our old fighting Ground again, in fack we Camp not a hundred rods from the same spot we did when we Marched from Rappahannock Station to White Sulpher just before the Battle of Bull ______________________________ 2 Run. Things look now as though we were to push on to Richmond this fall. I hope so any way. I would like to winter in; beyond or near there this winter if we are to go in to Winter Quarters any where. I hope the next letter I write to you will be headed or something like that. We have had no fighting since the Great Battle of Antietum except last Sunday (a week ago today) and Monday when we were advancing in to this state, our Cavelry which was in the advance run a foul of a large Rebel force near a place called Philamont. the Rebes drove them Back haveing a Battery ________________________________ 3 with then, finaly a Battery of Horse Artillery (so called by the Cannonears being Mounted on Horse back) went to the assistance of our Cavelry and checked the Rebes and drove them back a little. our Battery and the Brigade to which we are connected were then sent to their assistance. we arived at Philamont Sunday about 10 OClock AM and immedia -tely went in to action. we were Split up (our Battery) in to three different parts or Each section went different ways most of the two days we would go to a Position where we could flank the Rebel Battery. We would get in to Position and open on them with a few rounds then they would limber up and off __________________________________ 4 to a new Position, and we would repeat the flanking manover again, and again they would up and off to a new position, and that was the way we kept it up for the two days driving them through the villages of Unison and Upper- ville to Ashleys Gap in the Bleu Ridge Mts. a distance of some 10 miles, it was an exciting chace you better believe. we blew up two or three of their Caissons and killed and wounded several of their Men. Some were killed and wounded on our side but not one in our Battery except one wounded a little in the upper lip, it would seem as though God protected and watched over us as a Comp -any. We have met with so little loss since we have been here. We have not had a Man Killed yet and but few wounded, and they except two, Slightly, but the very next time we go in to Action we may all cut up, but I trust in God we may not. I rec. your kind letter of the 18th inst. the 29th and was very happy to hear from you. I should of written to you before _________________________________ 5 but I have not had the time. We are on the March now so it will be difficult for me to write very often but I will write to my Brother and Sisters as often as I can, but I must write to my wife any way. You ask if there is anything you can do for me. I was always sort of indipendant you know and never liked to call on any one for assistance if I was ever so bad off. Well I am not bad off and am not suffering for anything, but as I told you I like to write to you all. I should answer you sometimes sooner than I do, but I have not the Postage Stamps to put on the letters, nor the Money to buy then with. _____________________________ 6 it is now Six Months since we have been Paid of or that the Government owes us for, and the Prospects are not very good of our for a Month or two to come, and where a man gets only 13 Dollars a Month and sends that most all home, he can not have much at the end of Six Months. it has been so long since I have sent any home I think Rachel must be geting qwite Short by this time, so for this reason I have not sent to Rachel for Stamps or Money, but she has sent me a few Stamps enough to put on the letters I write to her, and to day I got a letter from her with one of those .25 cts Postage Stamps courancy bills in it. She was _________________________________ 7 short of money when she sent it, and I should send it back to her again but I know she would not like. I can get a long without the money well, but I would like some letter Stamps, for I love to get letters from my Relitives and Friends, it seemes to bring me near home, but I can not expect to rec. letters from them unless I answer theirs. I should not of been able to of answered this letter if you had not of had the kindness to of sent me a Sta -mp in your letter, now if you are a mined to I would like to have you send me some Stamps, and I will be very much obliged to you you for it and shall feel _____________________________ 8 for ever indebted to you and will bless you for your kindness to your Soldier Brother. I would not ask you to do it Luther, but I love to write to you all and some I do not feel like to asking to send me any. David Gilchrist sent me a nomber, and you sent me some, but they have all gone long ago and 50 cts worth more that I run in debt for when I was in this same Town last before this time, but enough of this. Our Capt. returned to our Camp when we were at Upperville and we were glad to have him come back to I tell you, but he has been appo -inted Chief of Artillery on Doubledays Staff so we are not much better of now, though he Can help us to things that we could not _____________________________ 9 get so readily before. Leut. Wadleigh who was wounded at Bull Run and went home on a furlough, has got back, so you see we are geting all hunks again. we also expect some more of our men back soon that were taken Prisoners at Bull Run. I think I told you that we had got or were a going to have Rifled Guns instead of the Howitzers, well we have got them and had an opertunity to try them for the first time in that two days Skourmish and we like them much. we can stand off now at proper distance and Plu -nk the Rebes. with the Howitzers we had to get in ______________________________ 10 amongst the Small stuff, and that is to close for Artillery for Infantry always pick of Cannonears when they can. the Rebes Sharp Shooters tried it on us at Antietam, but throu -gh the Providence of only one man was hit, yes at Bull Run, and I rather think would of done the same, though I do not think he would of hated to worse than . I hope I never shall have an opertunity or occasion to do the like again to an Enemy of my Country. That was not our John Fife that is dead, but Relative of his, his name is J W Fife. then Orison ______________________________ 11 is realy going to learn the Printers traid is he. I hope he will do well and form no bad habbits. I am glad to hear that Business is so good in new England. I am glad that Father has got a chance to work at his traid. i saw Charles Paige at Upperville, he is well and hearty and in good Spirets. The 5th 6th 9th and 10 amd 11 NH Regiments were near us one day while we stoped at Upperville. I saw qwite a nomber of Manchester Boys, that I knew. you asked me how I supply my self with Paper. I had qwite a lot on hand, run in debt for some, and Rachel sent me qwite a lot in a Box ______________________________ 12 a short time a go that was sent to one of our men. I have all the Paper that I can conveniantly cary, usualy when we are Paid of our Sergeamt Major goes in to Washington and we send by him and get our Stationary &c, it is qwite cold here now we had qwite a snow Storm day before yestarday, but we mannage to get along very well, as to our liveing, we get along with that very well. the boys confiscate a Pig or Turkey or Chicken or eggs or flower occasionly, but I do not like to go in qwite so I Steap yet as to take the liveing of the Familys, away from them, though it might be proper perhapes to make them divide, the flower workes in qwite handy when a man can get it it can generaly be bought, and when we run across an old Seceshers Mill we confiscate the flower _________________________________ 12X what we can Cary, he would of let the _________________________________ 9X Rebes of had it if we did not take. So it is only taking so much from the Rebel Armey what we take from a Flower Mill, at Unison where we drove the Rebes out last Sunday, there was an old Seceshers open and caried off what ever they had a mind to. I went in to it the next Morning and found some things on the floor among the Rubbish, I found a Pair of Gloves and sent them to Rachel, and also found some Green Mill Bread, and I will send Lydia a piece of it. my health is excellent and am in good Spirets and Trust that I may be at home with you all by a nother Summer. Tell Hellen that I have rec. several Papers from her _________________________________ 10X and am very much obliged to her for them that they afforded a good deal of Pleasure in reading them. I have rec. two letters from you since I wrote to you last. I will always try and answer yours as soon as I can and I want you to do the same to me. Write to if you do not get one from me, but I have written qwite a long letter so I will close for this time Praying that God will bless you all; give my love to your Family and all enq -uireing Friends. From your Affectionate Brother T C Cheney