Dear Minerva

     With but little news or change to note I seat myself to write to you We are having quite a pleasant time For a few days the duties of the Regt have not been heavy. Rations are full and the weather has not yet been Excessively hot. All this makes soldiering pleasant Enough Even here But it has not been so Ever since we have been here. Our men suffered a great deal of Exposure from a heavy rain some Eight or ten days ago which has made a number of the men sick But it does not appear to last long The sick are generally getting better. I took quite a bad cold myself from that or some other cause but I am prety well over it now
     I took a ride today to see some of the country in our rear I made a circuit I suppose of ten miles and I doant think I saw an acre of level land. So poor broken washed Godforsaken a district of Country I never before saw. How the people can live on the products of such land is a mystery to me Old fields are are so washed in gutters and chasms that frequently stock cannot travel over them. This is almost universal with old fields

Your affectionate Husband
George Thomas

Friday morning the 19" June

     Just as I had closed my letter last night there opened a very heavy cannonadeing in front of us & to our left attended with volleys of musketry The Regt was at once brought out in line. teams geared up. desks packed. and Every preperation made for what Ever might take place. This all being done we had nothing to do but wait Events and watch the rise course and Explosion of shells. But of this we could see nothing but the flashes and hear the reports Except the shells thrown by the mortar boats. I have felt anxious to see a bombardment at Knight Last Knight to some Extent gratified me These shells sent from the mortar boats would present the appearance of a bright star in motion describing a curve The fuse being on fire made a bright light and Enabled one to follow its course It would slowly mount up to a great distance Then shoot forward and commence its descent until the blaze at the fuse would reach the magazine within its self when these would be one bright flash and after a time a heavy report. This would sometimes happen when it was at its Zenith high up in the Heavens
     The Excitement lasted about an hour when all was again quiet. There is nothing unusual this morning. We learn the cause of the shelling last night was that our forces were puting up a siege gun and the rebels were shelling the working party This brought our guns into the affair

George Thomas