Franklin County: William Martin to Henry A. Bitner, August 20,
1862
August the 20th A.D. 1862
Camp Wells
My Friend Harry
As I have just now
got off of duty I thought that it was
my duty to inform you of
some of
the proceedings. Friend we left
Harrisburg
[unclear: [illeg.]]of day
at 10 O'clock A.M, and
arrived at
Baltimore at 6 O'Clock in the evening where we were treated with
much respect by the
citizens
The whole Regiment got their
supper at the Soldiers religious
association; a place kept up by the
citizens of
Baltimore for the benefit of the
soldiers. Our supper
consisted of bread boiled ham
cheese, and plenty of first rate
coffee,
but spreads we had none. And we
left
Baltimore
at 9 O'Clock that night
and arrived at Washington City at
1 O'Clock the next
morning A.M.
[page 2]
where we retired for the night
we all slept in the soldier's
retreat, a building put up for to
rest soldiers in
the morning we
got our breakfast which was bread and
a hunk of meat and chocklet
with grease swimming on it a half
an inch thick. I had a great
notion
to grease my shoes with it. We spent
a Tuesday
forenoon in running
around through the City and about
10 O'Clock we were marched to
where we now are. We are encamped about [deleted: in the] 7 miles
south west from Washington. We
were marched from the City to
Camp Wells
7 miles with only 2 rests
of about 10 minutes each with
our knapsacks on our
backs
and our guns and our haversacks
all together weighing about 50 lbs
and we were doublequicked part of
the
way.
[page 3]
Last night was the first
night that I slept on the sacred soil of old Virginia and I
never slept better in my
life.
Last night there was one of our
guards was out in the hand last night
as
he was walking the beat there [unclear:
at
]
was a man jumped out of the
bushes out of the bushes and cut
the
guard across the hand pretty
bad I do not know whether
it
was a rebel or not.
Henry
When you get married I want
you to send me word for I want
to be the
second best or first I don't
care which. I heard that you were
to
be married I like it first rate but
it is not the living that we get
at home.
I will get along first
rate [deleted: tw]until winter
commences when
singing and spelling are going
on then I will wish for home.
[page 4]
I now must close for the present
for we must drill 9 hours
tomorrow. Write
[deleted: sou] soon and give
me [added: all]the
[deleted: all] news of old
Southampton.
Give my love to all the Ladies of
old Franklin. Nothing more
at present.
Yours Respectfully
William J. Martin
