Dear Father And Mother I thought I would write a gain I am well and I hope this will find you the same. The rebs left there works night before last they fell back a bout a mile we started after them before day light our advance found them stakeing off A line of works they had there guns stacked and was a bout to go to work. We run them a cross a cornfield in to there brest works. They opened on us from a foart and one or two other placeses. our batterys respond to there call from three or four -

different ways. we are gitting close to atlanta. we are within two miles and a half of the City we can shell the place very easy. The rebs charged McPherson [i.e., Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson] four times the first time they drove him but after that he held his ground he had not got his lines formed when they charged him they took some artillery from him when they got through chargeing he charged them and took the battery back and the ground he had lost back. McPherson was killed Logan [i.e., Maj. Gen. John A. Logan] took command they say he managed the thing all wright. The folke in Atlanta got up on the top of the houses to see the fight our men got sight of them and they thought it was to nice a thing they opened on them they said they more than got down from a loft The nuse is that Hood [i.e., Gen. John Bell Hood] is in

Command of the confed. army he had not had command over two hours til he charged Hooker [i.e., Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker] and got whiped and lost six thousand men before he got through with it I dont think that would pay him very large. the reson Hood got.Comd. Johnson [i.e., Gen. Joseph E. Johnston] said he couldent hold Atlanta with out he had more men and would not try President Davis said Atlanta must be held he wanted Brag [i.e., Gen. Braxton Bragg] to take Command and he would not do it. he then wanted Hardee [i.e., Lt. Gen. William Hardee] to try it but he would not. Old hood thought he woud git his name up and he took the job. The nuse came this morning that old Hardee was killed Logan cut there last railroad last night a bout two o clock. Stanly [i.e., Maj. Gen. David S. Stanley] told .L.H..Waters [i.e., Col. Lewis H. Waters, 84th Illinois Infantry] that Logan killed .2000. and took .1500. prisoners. I think they will play

out before long if they go on as they have bin doing and that is what we want the sooner the better for us. I have wrote more nuse in this letter than any other. there is some of it I dont believe but I thought I would write it all so you would have an idy how things is here. the boys are all well and feal fine. I havnot had a letter from you since the .8. of this month this is .3.letters I have wrote since I have got any. I hope things will go a long fine up in gods country I want you to live as well as you can there is no use of all liveing poor. I hope this war will end before long I dont like this way of living I must quit for this time. Write often to your hopeful in the army.

H Maley