p.

a house + the rebs keep pegging away at
us several have struck very close
It is very funny music to hear these little balls
and big shells come whistling by our ears
and I have heard them enough to demonstrate
one thing + that is that I can face them with
as little fear as any of them + with less flinching
than most of them but I am not sorry that
we kept out of the big fight
The reports that some have written of the result
of the fight is shameful- It is true that Rosa
was forced to fall back to this place but it was
worse than useless to have fought the whole
confederacy any longer but if he had been
reinforced as he expected to be he would have
whipped them and as it is they are about as
badly whipped as we are -and the story that
McCooks + Crittendens Corps acted disgracefull
is entirely false it was written by Gen
Thomas blower + strikes
The enemy have been silent for three days
except an occasional shot and it is the
opinion here that they are going to lay siege