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May 18 1862
White Heouse Va May 18./62
My Dear Mother
I recd a note / from you at our last / stopping place. I am still / very well but the warm weather / is making me lazy. I have / a big brown hat about the / size of big umbrella and / am trying to Keep my beautiful / countenance from freckling.
I had a letter from Mag / a few days ago, send / this to her as I will not / have time to write to her / tonight And we are to move / again in the morning. We are / about 23 miles from Richmond
I was at the 103rd Regiment / today and saw the Callensburg / people, Mobly looks well /
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Hays Alexander has been sick / but is better now. Mr Ma- / -cay has been sick and / has resigned & gone home. / Capt M. Macley & Myers / are well, We are encamp- / -ed upon a very large / plantation, owned by one / of the Lees of this state, / and the plantation were / Genl. Washington got / his wife, It is a very / pretty place, but rather / too swampy to suit the / taste of a native of Western / Penna. There is one / field of wheat of about / 150 acres. The grain is / about Knee high. & Uncle / Sam is pasturing his horses / and Cattle upon it now / An army is a hard thing upon / farms. There are about /
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150 niggers upon this place, / they thought the northern / men would kill about the / half of them, but as we / have not done that yet, I / suppose They are arguably / disappointed. The southern- / -ers have told their slaves / Some awful stories about / what we would do to / them, and They expected / us to Kill the useless ones / & carry off the rest to some / very bad place.
We have seen nothing of / the Rebels since we left / Yorktown. how long it will / be before we get up to / them again I cannot / say. Our army is too / large & the roads too bad / for very rapid moving just / now. We move / forward in the morning/
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I dont know how far / but I think not more / than 5 or 6 miles
John Myers had a letter / from Kate the other day / Kate said that Mag had / gone to Pittsburg. Mag says she has / still lots of work. / I am glad to hear it if she dont work too / hard. Give my love / to Smith Sis and the / children & Remember / me to all the old friends / I would like to get home to / help you move into the / new mansion Smith is / building for you Give my love / to Mary Jane
Your aff… Gus
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