Dear Father.And.Mother

     I thought I would write a gane the male goes out this evening and I thought I would send a letter home. their is not very mutch to write but I will scratch a few lines to let you know how. I git a long I have felt better than I do now but I am not sick I hope this will find you all well and able for your grub. Our pickets charged on the rebs picket and took in a bout.25.of them, toar up their pits and then fell back to whare they started from the rebs havenot come back yet they have lots of big guns and lots of foarts. Our men are stil going a round to the wright they say our

men are a cross the Macon road. our pickets charged the rebs last night and got up in.50.yards of their mane works before the rebs fired at them they fired a volly at our men the first thing. their was.2 wounded and one killed out of the.84. Beeby [i.e., Pvt. William A. Beeby, 84th Illinois Infantry] was killed he belonged to company K it is the first man we have had killed he came up since we crossed the river he was a way from the regiment over a year. it seams as tho the men that have come up since we have bin on this campaign that has bin back for some time are very unlucky a bout gitting shot their has bin more recruits killed according than old soldiers they dont know ho to save them selvs so well. The rebs charged Hooker [i.e., Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker] 3 or 4 times yesterday and got drove back every time they must have lost heavy the cannonnading was heavy it sounded as tho they was throwing canister. I dont like this way of sending out a skirmish

line to charge a line of works it may be for the best but I cant see it I suppose they want to keepe their attension drawn this way so they cant throw so large a force on one place. Stoneman [i.e., Maj. Gen. George Stoneman] is playing smash with the railroad down a bout Macon some think he will release some of our men that the rebs have their one of the.30.Ind. that got a way from their says that our men are dying off very fast they keepe them in a pen and them that has tents of their one can git a long and them that has not has to take the storm they willnot give them any thing. I dont think they can prosper long using men so. I have bin washing to day it is some thing that I dont like to do but I have to come to it I would not mind it so mutch if we had any thing to wash with but we have not a fellow can go and flop his shirt a round in the crick a while and call it clean and let it rip and poot it on.

I think if I live to git home I will quit washing if money will git it dun) I wrote a letter to sqair morgin [i.e., Pvt. James W. Morgan, Co. D, 138th Illinois Infantry] the other day if he dont answer it I will scratch him off of the list it must stick him up some to think he is in the gritty.138.Ill. I saw a piece in the Oquawka papers a bout their grit if they will come down here they can git the grit taken out of them some what. I hope the.100 days men will have a good time I dont wish them any harm. I hope the war will be over before their time is out but I expect not we will have to serve our time out I think the rebs will hang on as long as they can.) Well I will bring this thing to a close write often to your hopeful in the army

H H Maley

To Wm M Maley
And E A Maley