Letter written by Henry Welch, corporal in the 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company K, to his aunt and uncle from ?, October 12, 1862

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PAGE IMAGEOct..12..1862 Dear Aunt (Tanner, Franklin (Mrs., Polly C.)) (Tanner, Polly C. (Mrs. Franklin Tanner)) and Uncle (Tanner, Franklin) .

It is sunday
evening and as the mail did not go
out to day I thought I would write a few
lines more I have been to meeting
today. we have good meetings down here
our chaplain is one of the best of men
he is almost a father to us all and
has a kind word for us whenever we
meet him. there has been a fight
about fifteen miles from here to day we
could hear the cannon very plain it
seemed fairly to jare (jar) the ground
the boys counted thirteen reports
in a minute the fireing (firing) lasted three
hours. cavalry men went galopeing (galloping) by
toward the fight all I hear is that
the rebels are trying to crass (cross) the river
I don't know whether its so or not
you will hear the particulars before

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PAGE IMAGE you get this. Horace (Horace) has just come
and in and says Dave rogers (Rogers, David) has
got back from Harpers ferry (Harpers Ferry, West Virginia) and says
the rebels tried to cross the river
at a place called the point of rocksPoint of Rocks, Virginia
and that they were repulsed and
badly cut up it may not be so for
there is a great many reports around
the camp that there is no truth in
our Brigadier General was here today
his name is Kane (Brigadier General) (Kane) , brother to the
great artic (arctic) explorer you have heard
of him. we are in Banks (Banks) Division (Banks' Division)
now they told us so tonight on dress
perade (parade), so you may calculate that
Banks (Banks) is the man that takes Jackson (Jackson)
I want to know if you hear anything
from Ed Hays (Hays, Ed) . and John Potter (Potter, John) up there
the last we hered (heard) was that they were
in rutland (Rutland) jail but I guess it was
a mistake a fellow that enlisted in
Hampton (Hampton, Virginia) and deserted when we were

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PAGE IMAGEcomming (coming) down here has been
arrested court martialed and shot
his name was Joseph Dickson (Dickson, Joseph) the news
come in some letters the boys got
from Hampton (Hampton, Virginia) we heard that he was
in jail when we were at Washington (Washington, District of Columbia)
he had deserted before that was why
he was shot so soon. it is raining yet
it has rained a part of the time for
three days when you write d'ont (don't) forget
to tell me how spot gets along I would
like to see the old fellow I wonder if he
would know me now I have just herd (heard)
that our company is going out on
picket tomorrow down the potomac (Potomac River)
but I will close now for fear you will
not read what I have wrote. direct
your letters to the same place you did
before I have been thinking that I had ought
to have wrote home instead of writeing (writing)
so long a letter to you but I will wite (write) in
a day or too (two) tell them I well give my love
to all and writ (write) soon

From Henry (Welch, Henry)