Franklin County: William Martin to Henry A. Bitner, August 20,
1862
Aug. 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
Har-
risburg
[unclear: [illeg.]]of day
at 10 O,clock A.M, and
arrived at
Baltimore at 6 O,clock in the eve-
ning where we were treated with
much respect by the
citizens
The whole Regiment got their
supper at the Soldiers relig.
asso-
ciation; a place kept up by the
citizens of
Baltimore for the ben-
efit 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
Balt.
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 soldiers
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 greese swimming on it a half
an inch thick. I had a great
notion
to greese 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 in-
camped 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 haversa[added: cks]
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 sa-
cred soil of old Virginia and I
never slept better in my
life.
Last night there was one of our
gards was out in the hand las 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
gard across the hand pretty
bad I do not know whether
it
was a rebbe or not.
Hen.
When you get married I want
you to send me word for I want
to be the
second best or first I dont
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]untill 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
tomor-
row. 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
