Dear Father And Mother

I thought I would answer your letter that I got this evening I was glad to here from you so often I think I git every letter you write. There has bin awful work here [i.e., the battle of Kennesaw Mountain, 27 June 1864] since I worte Nutons [i.e., Brig. Gen. John Newton's] division charged on the rebs in front of us it was awful there was 800 killed and wounded in a bout 2 ours Howerd [i.e., Maj. Gen. O. O. Howard] wanted Stanly [i.e., Maj. Gen. David S. Stanley] to charge them and he said he didnot like to he said he would loose half of his men. and he did not think he could tak there works. Nuton thought he could take them and Howerd told him to do it I think

he would have taken them but it was not managed wright they was 5 lines deepe and the 2 lines was not over 250 yards a part they couldent shoot over in the brush without hitting some one. Some of them got up to there works as soon as they went to fall back the rebs opened on them with grape and they fired from there brestworks. They have brush piled up a long so a man can hardly git through with out being shot at then they have sharped sticks drove in there brestworks so a man can hardly git over. The 10 and.16.are only a bout.300.yards from us. Duke says to tell you that he is all wright and well. Amous Right is well and is with the regiment I have seen all the boys in both regiments that you know they are all well I believe

Frank [i.e., Sgt. James F. Fryrear, Co. K, 84th Illinois Infantry] is gitting sicker every day he has no life a bout him a tal the docter wilnot send him back and he will never git well here. I wish they would send him back Will Stockton [i.e., Sgt. William H. Stockton, Company K, 84th Illinois Infantry] has a hard time takeing care of him he has all the work to do and then Frank jaws him for not doing things wright there is not an nother one in the company that would do as much for him as Will does. there is no better fellows than him. In the.84.there has bin.75.killed and wounded in this campaign. the.10.has only lost a bout.40.killed and wounded the.16.hasnot lost any more than the.10. I am glad to here that things are groing so fine I hope things will prosper well up north. I would like very well to have some of your garden stuff. we had a mess of black berries, they are not ripe yet but they went well for all that we drew lots of sugar

we drawed some beef the other day that thay had to lean the ox up a gin the fence to kill it we cooked it a bout half a day and then it was so tuf that we had to shut our eyes and grone and pull like a dog at a stump. The.15.and.16.Corps. say they intend to take the big mountain [i.e., Kennesaw Mountain] on the.4.of July. I think there will be warm times here the 4. Dock McDill [i.e., Asst. Surgeon David McDill, 84th Illinois Infantry] said he saw some of the.15.Corps. the.91.Ill is in that Corps. I hope they are here. we cant have two many men there is a great many giting wounded every day the pickets keepe fireing at one other all the tim there is bound for some to git hurt. The rebs done the fair thing they came out with a flag of troos and let us buery our dead we exchaned papers with them there papers give an account of the charge and our loss and it was correct: You must excuse this bad writing for the ink is to thick it is a bout time for the male to go out so I will quit write often to your hopeful in the army

H H Maley

Wm M M and E.A Maley