(Note: This is an undated letter. The letter of August 23, 1863 mentions exchanging coffee for milk and having it for breakfast. This letter was possibly written the night before.)
I am writing by candle light. I want to send this in the morning. I am afraid you wont get it Sadurday now. I have ben after grapes this afternoone. I never see eneything in the shape of fruit look so nice. The grapes are large as eney cultivated grape I ever see at the north and I am shure there was 50 bushels of them in the place I went. I filled my haversack and cut off as meney vines as I could carey. How I wish you had them. They are so nice. You sead your coffe was all gone. I wish you had some more. We draw more than we can use. I am going to exchange some in the morning for a canteene of milk. I shal have bread and milk for breakfast. We have plenty to eat now. We draw soft bread now the most of the time. There is two fidels in the regt and a dance most every evening. They are at it now. There is all sorts of fun going on here. The most of the boys are ready for eneything. We got to playing a sham fight to day. We got to sides and commenced throwing tin cans and corn cobs wich are plenty around our camp. We went through with a regular battle taking prisoners and caring off wounded and takeing out bullets and amputating limbs and so on. Some of the boys got hurt some. We may have to come into it in earnest before long and then it wont be so funey but the soldiers have got to do something or they will all die. I guess you hadent better sell them chestnut logs. You sead you heard they were granting furloughs. That is not so. I hope it wont be long when they will give us all furlows to go and stay. I think you had better let out your sheep if you havent got hay enough to ceep them. I shal have stop writing for this time. I hope you will get this Sadurday for I dont want you disppointed as I was. I send my love to you all. Good buy dear Charlotte.
Charles Engle