Cole Harbor 8 Miles from Richmond
			Va. June 11th 1864
Dear Brother
		I think I wrote to
you last, but I presume you will
not object to rec. a letter from
me again at this time. I will
not attempt at this time, Luther
to tell you all I have passed
through since this Campaign
commenced, suffise it to say that
through the blessings of God I
have escaped thus far all the
Battles and Skourmishes through
which our Battery has passed,
without rec. so much as a scr
-atch with one exception, and
then I rec. only a severe bruse.
I supose you have heard about
it ere this by way of Rachel
or Melissa. The particulars of
it are this, it hapned at Po River.
We were in range of the Rebel
___________________________________
2
SharpShooters, they had already
wounded three of our Men. We
were Limbering up our Guns.
I had hold of the Trail of our
(6th Detachment) Gun runing it to
the rear to hook it to the Limber
when the bullet hit me in the
hip passing through a Rubber
and Woolen Blanket that hung
over my Shoulder and through
my haversack through a Pepper
Box in my haversack; hiting my
Case knife and doubleing all up
and cracking it so it broke off
afterwords, passed through my
haversack, and hit me in the
hip, but did not go through
my Cloths, it made a black
and blue spot larger than your
hand and felt for three days
as though I was carieng a
10 lb Shot there, but I have
got all over it now, it was
a Providential escape and I
___________________________________
3
am very thankful to my Heavenly
Father for it. Our Battery has
been in all the Big Battles
and some of the small ones
since we started on this Camp
-aign, and have always done
our whole duty, and through
the Providence of God we have
escaped thus far and only had
5 Men wounded, not but two
of those very bad, and they not
dangerous, one of those is Mr
Mooney of Nashua. I do not
call it that I was wounded
(though many would) for I was
not off duty a moment by it
though it troubled me some to
March and we had conciderable
of it to do about that time. Our
Battery is in Position now within
700 or 800 yds of the Rebel
Breast works, and the little
Zippers pass over our heads
qwite freqwent, sometimes rather
__________________________________
4
to close for conveniance, for
they force us to make our manners,
which  never like to do to the
Jonnies, and do not but a very
little. Our Picket or Skourmish
line is up to within 100 yds of
the Rebel works and they have
thrown up Strong Breast works
and there is almost continual
Poping at each other. They do
not dare on either side to show
a head, for they are very liable
to get them hit if they do. We have
got us some very Strong Earth Works
thrown up in front of our Battery.
the 10th Mass Battery is along side of us. We
have thrown or dug us some
bomb proofs the Rebes have been
useing Morters at our Righ and
we did not know but they might
throw at us so we built Bomb
proofs haveing the time) the Maile
is going and I must close. I hope
the next time I write to to you
it will be from the City of
Richmond with the Stars and Stripes
floteing over the City. Did you
rec. the Soldiers Memorial I
sent you. My love to Hellen
and your Family. I have rec.
several papers you and Hellen
sent me. I am much obliged for
them, from your Affectionate
Brother  T C Cheney
my health is first rate.