Augusta County: Adam Wise Kersh to George P. Kersh,
December 25, 1861
Summary:
Kersh tells about building fortifications and making other preparations for
future skirmishes with Union troops. He also reports on illnesses in camp.
George P. Kersh
December 25, 1861
Camp Tip Top, Pocohontas County, VA
Dear Brother
I take this opportunity to write a few lines home I received your letter dated on December 15th on the 19th and was glad to hear from you all I wrote a letter home on the 9th of December and on the 16th I suppose you did not get all the letters I wrote home Some must have been mislaid I have been writing nearly every week on an average We have been trimming and burning brush ever since the fight we had no fortifications for the canon the day of the fight we have five now we have been blockading some roads also and extended our trenches around further we will have a better chance at the yanks if they come now the brush being burnt from around our fortifications they had a better chance then we had the day of the battle they could lay behind the brush and logs concealed and when we would raise up to look for them they would fire at us they knew exactly where to look for us in the trenches we had a false alarm here last Monday we were ordered in our trenches about five o'clock in the morning all the regiments were ordered in the trenches we waited for the Yankees till about an hour by sun and no yanks come so we went home to our breakfast disappointed the way the alarm got out was that some of our men slipped the pickets that night to hunt some liquor and When they returned the pickets heard them and took them to be yanks and fired a couple rounds on them and run in no one was hurt Wm Cupps is doing pretty well now since he has been put on duty he had done no duty since he belonged to the army worth naming until a few weeks ago the Doctor would not have him on the sick list no longer so he had to go on duty Wm H Fry is well and bustling around Jacob Harvey Craun is nearly well again he is taken off the sick list and goes on duty again Adam Craun is not well & has not been for some time having a kind of diarrhea and jaundice Adison L. Hisner is has not been well for some time one of our boys named Philip Caffrey went home today with the fever the balance of our Company are well that we have here now we have none at the hospital here now Harvey Misner has gone home sick Wm Jammason had been sick getting well again The health of our regiment is improving now not as many sick as had been we have a dry Christmas here the boys had to go to work today as well as any other day we work here on Sundays too as to myself I am excused from duty to day having a bile on my leg which hurts me some otherwise I am in good health as to getting a furlough it would be impossible now as we ain't through with the work yet and look for the yanks every day towards spring probably we may get them, it is just left to the officers choice if you and [unclear: B] should come out you may bring a flannel and cotton shirt along if you can get flannel yet if not it dont make no difference I believe that is all I want now I will answer Josey letter next
Yours respectfully
AW Kersh
