[Sandy Hook near Harpers Ferry, Virginia]
October 14th 1862
Dear Parents,
I received your letter the 13th and was glad to hear that you was all well. We are all well here yet and I hope that we will be while we stay down South. How long that will be we cannot tell. Tonight we have to go out on picket duty to keep the rebels from tearing up the main road and to stop all stragglers and take them to the guard house and then they have to work in the fortification at Harpers Ferry and to help to build the bridge across the river at Harpers Ferry where the rebels burnt it up. There is some of our boys are to work there. They have been there since we have been in camp at Sandy Hook near Harpers Ferry. They was taken up as stragglers but they did not the laws then. Any soldier that is caught two miles from his camp is arrested unless he has a pass from the colonel.
Yesterday Truman [Miller of 108th New York] and Charley was here. They are well. Truman drives team to carry the sick and wounded from the field. Kirt Farmer is well too and the rest of the boys from Gates.
Sunday we had a pretty hard battle at Point of Rocks about 20 miles from where we are. We could hear the cannons roar like thunder one after one. We drove them back through Frederick City as they could not retreat any other way. We took 500 prisoners. How many was killed, I do not know.
But I must stop writing as I must clean my musket for tonight so goodbye for this time. Tell [ Â ] that I will bring him a horse when I come home, if I do. — C. C. Miller
P. S. I would like to have you send me some postage stamps and 2 dollars in money in the next letter if you can. If you can’t send the money next time, send the stamps anyhow. Tell the rest of the folks to write.
Spared & Shared 21 