Dear Father And Mother

I will write a gain to let you know that I am well and I hope this will find you all the same. I was on picket last night and had a very good time the worst thing is the greybacks [i.e., lice] are to thick out on picket they run a round as thick as ants do in .Ills. they live in the ground and a fellow cant git cleer of them going on picket every 3 days and we only have one kettle to wash with and they use it to cook in the most of the time. I expect I have wrote to mutch of this slang so I will try something else. They had quite a fight last night on our wright they charged our men 4 times and got repulsed every time

The rebs lost heavy our loss was lite. the skirmish line is all they got from us. our Batterys commenced A bout dark and shell the town all night some times they throw hot shot and they always set some thing a fire they set a house on fire last night it burned for two ours. of all the howling and barking I never herd before as they kep up last night whenever a shell would burst they would commence. we could here the shot strike the buildings very plane. they use from .10.lb. guns up to 100.lb. the guns that they set the the town on fire with was a .39.lb and a .64.lb gun. you better believe they sound heavy they must bother the Johnnies like thunder night before last they set the town on fire twice they could here them ringing bells and trying to poot the fire out. they cant help but hurt some of the citizons. Most every buddy thinks we will be in Atlanta in two weeks I cant see it in that lite I think

they can hold on as long as they have grub I think they will run short after a while. we have run short now. I can give you a bill of fair Sugar coffee hard bread and poor beaf and but little of it one mess of beans and one mess of dog leg that is what the boys call it. Robbert Everet [i.e., Pvt. Robert Everett, Co. G, 84th Illinois Infantry] has just got here. he says the rebs charged our men .6. times last night and got whiped like thunder. if they will keep on chargeing it is as good a thing as we want. The talk is now that the .5-8. [i.e., 58th Illinois Infantry] is going to leave our brigade and go to the .2. brigade .Col. Post [i.e., Col. P. Sidney Post] will take command of that brigade. the .36.Ind. is going home the first of next month their time is out then their is only 21 vetterons in that regiment they will be provo guards at brigade hed quarters they will have a good time. The boys is mostly all well in company K their is .36. men now their was tow come up the other day that went back sick. We have not herd from Fryrear [i.e., Sgt. James F. Fryrear, Co. K, 84th Illinois Infantry] for some time

I guess I will not write any more til the male comes in their may be a letter for me; Their is no letter for me this time I guess all the folks have forgot they have any friends down A bout Atlanta or they dont want to write. I hope the time will soon come when we will not have to write home. that we will be there and then we can tell what we want to with out writing it. I will bring this thing to a close. Write often to your hopeful in the army.

H H Maley

William M Maley
E A Maley