| 1864-08-29 | Camp 45th Regt P.V.V. |
| Camp 45th Regt P.V.V. Aug. 29th, 1864 Dear Parents Your most welcome letter of the 16th inst came to hand today. I had looked in vain for several days for it but the mail must have changed or been delayed for your letters generally come in the forpart of the week and this is Saturday. Everything is quite as usual today but there has been hard fighting since I wrote. A day or two ago the 2nd Corps swung around toward the Lynchburg RR and the enemy came down upon them but what the result is I dont know, but yesterday and today have been very quiet. l presume the enemy did not gain much advantage. If they had they would not have been so quiet as they have for two days past. We still hold the Weldon RR and I presume they may be presumptuous enough to try and drive us away from that but many of them will bit the dust before we resign possession. I see by extracts taken from the Richmond papers that the leading men of the Confederacy are getting uneasy about the war and are puffing their people with all kinds of bugbear stories about the North resisting the draft and the total annihilation of Grant's and Sherman's and Sheridan's armies and a thing not unexpected by them (the Confederates) in the course of six or eight weeks. They are trusting a great deal to the grand Chicago Convention that comes off, if I mistake not, about the 29th of this month but I fear all their fine air castles will come to naught for I believe this war will end inside of one year if Lincoln is reelected which I have no doubt he will. This war must close ere many months roll around. The masses of the South are getting sick and tired of this war, so many of them are getting their eyes opened to the rascality practiced upon them by the leaders of this Rebellion, they begin to see that it is against their own interest to keep up the war longer and if our armies are only successful in a fiew more battles it will close the war. I think everything is working well for our success, but I have only a fiew moments more to write before the mail goes out. As to my being mistaken about where you wrote I was credited, you wrote Westfield. It might have been a mistake in writing but if the Supervisors do not accept the order, when you go to the Borough find out if I am credit to any place. If not try and get me credited to Jackson; that is, if I am not credited to Westfield, but dont allow them to credit me to Wellsboro, if possible any other part. As to those colts I spoke of while home, if you can get a pair that you think will pay, buy them but if not, do as you see fit. Col Hills had not got his leave of absence yet. If he does not get it soon, I will send my money by express for I want it home. If you do not get any town bounty for me, you can use what I send home now and use it anyhow. It is better to be used than to ly still. If you do not want to use it put it out at interest or some good investment but if you let it out as interest, make the papers payable in the same kind of money so as to get the compound interest at the end of three years, but l must close hoping to hear from you soon. My respects to all enquiring friends from your ever Affectionate Son J.D. Strait | |