Camp Aquia Creek
June the 3 1863
My Dear Wife
I received a letter yesterday from you that had the peper in. I should have had it last weak. I am sorry to hear such news about the baby. I am afraid you wont rise? him. You wrote in the letter you wrote Sunday he was well. I hope he will ceep well but I am afraid he wont if he has had inward fits. Poor little Matie. She has ben sick to. I am verry glad she is better. I gues the poark she eat helped her. I wish I could get something nice to send her but I cant. I am afraid you haint verry smart. I know you haint smart enough to do your work. You hadent orte to do eney more than to take care of the little ones. I wish I could be there to help you but I cant now but I hope it wont be long when I can be. It is a hard way to live. It is much harder for you than it for me. You have it twice as hard as I do. You musent let eneything wory you. I am well and hope you all are. I went to a funerl yesterday. There was a man died out of Co H. He was an old man between fifty and sixty. He was a good old soldier but he couldent standit here. There was three ladies to the funerl. It was the magers wife and two of the capt wives. I wish you could ben here. It was a sollom funerl. The drum corps marched ahead and played the death march and the chaplain and the capt of the Co next and the corpse next with the flag over it and then twelve men with their muskets and then the rest of the regt. We marched in two ranks. When we got to the grave they let the corpse down. Drum corps plaied while it was going down and then they sung and the chaplain prayed and then he spoke a fiew minuets. I never heard a man speak better. He give the old soldier a good recamend. I wish every soldier would have as good. He was a christian. The chaplain use to be capt of his Co. He was well acquinted with him. He has a famely at home to mourne his loss. We havent had our pay yet. I wish I had it to send it in this letter. I hope we will get it before long. It will soone be the fourth. I wish peace could be declared this fourth but it wont be. There will be another hard battle about that time. There was some rebel cavelry croosed the river yesterday and our cavelry sent them back a good deal quicker than they come. I guess we will stay here to guard the landing. That is the talk now. We have had three the windiest days here I ever see. The dust flew so we couldent see carcely eneything. It rained a little this morning. I hope it will rain more and lay this awful dust. I will stop for this time. I wrote Sunday. I shal write often and you must do the same. I hope this will find you all well. I send my love to you. Ciss the babies for me. From your affecunate husbman.
C Engle
To Charlotte Engle good buy
I cant send this until tomorrow. The mail has gone out. You will get it Tuesday.
Wensday afternoone
Well Dear Charlotte
I wrote a letter this forenoone and when the mail came I got another letter and good news in it. You are all well. That is the best kind of news. I hope such news will come in every letter. I am glad you write often. It does me so much good to hear from home. This letter came through quick. It was mailed Sadurday. You sent me some more peper. You neadent send me eney more until I send for it. We draw some peper now. I have got most a box full. Billy is well. I thought when I was home he would soone fat up and Rast is well and over his deafness. I shant tell the compeny of that. The boys that get their discharge haint no more thought of here than a deserter. They all say he has played off and got his discharge. There is a great deal diferent feeleing amonst the soldiers than there was last winter. We are all fight now. You want me to to try and get my discharge. I would like to be home as bad as you want me to be but I want to see this war setteld first. I dont want you and the children disgrased. I might as well desert as to buy or play off for my discharge. If it is my lot to fall on the battle field no one can say to my children your father deserted. I know it is a hard task for you and hard enough for me but let us try and fight our way through. This war cant alwais last. You will see the 137th march in Binghamton one of thoes days with peace on our bayonets. That is the way I want to come home. It will be more honor to eney man and to his dear friends at home. I care more for them than I do for myself. I think it is an honor to eney man to be in our army. Have good courage dear Charlotte. We will wory it out after a while. You sead you thought I was homesick when I was sick. You may guess I thought of home but I am well now and I haint homesick. If we all ceep our health I can put up with our troubels verry well but if eney of you are sick it troubels me. How glad I am the baby is so well and you and Matie to. I would like to see the baby. I cant forme no idea how it looks. I suppose they will commence drafting before long. I hope they will do something to stop the war as soone as posable. I suppose it will create quite an excitement but they have got to come. It will soone be a year since I enlisted. The three years will soone pass away if I have to stay the time but I dont think I will. I must close for this time. I guess I have got all your letters. My love to you.
Good buy dear Charlotte
Charles