ENPages
p.
Assistant Quarter Master's Office, Head Quarters 2d Div., 6th Corps, Boonsboro Md.
July 10th 1863.
My dear Mother:
I have just received thy letter of the 5th instant and must spend a few moments to reply to it. My long silence must be accounted for by saying I have been very busy and if thee could see what I and all of us have to do, thee would not blame me, I think. I have got another horse and though James may be in the Saddle, every day, more regularly, than I am, I do not think he has any harder marckes to make than I do. As an instance I put on my Saddle last 2d day at 6 o'clock A.M. at Westminster and there and it was not taken off till 3 o'clock P.M. 3d day, and then only for one half hour, in which to feed, when I put it on again till 11 A.M. of 4th day at Fredrick During the time, I rode in a wagon two hours for sleep and Ballou rode the horse
p.
Other than that, I only slept in the Saddle and such sleep is not very cooling. I am very well and also very tired. I do not think the troops or the trains have ever marcked and mooved so far, so manny days in succession before. You are getting fuller reports of our movements in the papers than I can give you so I will not expatiate upon them. Capt Pitkin is at Fredrick now. I saw him yesterday; also the Harveys, Ed. Turpleson & Obi & Wesley Hill. They were all well Davill is not there and is not to be. Fourth day I saw the body of the Spy Richardson, as it hung on the tree where he was executed Second day evening. Many of our boys recognized him, for a man who was with the Army occasionally, on the Peninsula singing and rending Union songs. I have seen him repeatedly in Washington. It was a horrid sight: his clothing had all been torn off in pieces and carried away as relics and the tree striped of its Bark for the same purpose.
I needed nothing to remind me of it but if a piece of the tree would help me forget it I would gladly avail myself of it. I must close Farewell
W B Stevens
