Head Quarters 24th Regt N.Y.H.V. Near Beverly Ford Va Aug 10th /63 Dear Mother I received your much welcome letter yesterday. it found me in middling good health and able to do duty in the company the money came safe but before I had time to use it "Uncle Sam" made me a present of $52.00 and I shall send some in this letter & if it goes through safe I shall send some more next time I write. I should send it all at one time but it would not be as safe as it would to put it in two letters About half the Regt is doing fatigue duty near Bealton Station building roads bridges & corduroy roads. they have been there a week and we do not know how long they will stay. Harvey is there & did not draw his pay to day but the Pay Master is going down there after he pays the Brigade to pay what is there Charleston has not yet fallen & will continue to hold out for some time to come but our forces are steadily advancing and the day draws nearer & nearer when the birth place of Treason will be in the possession of the United States forces & the flag of Liberty will wave over that hot bed of decepsion. The report of Fort Wagner being in our possession was not true but our land batteries are drawing very near to its walls and it will Sooner or later be compelled the to yield to ^ united efforts of our Army & Navy when Wagner falls it will be only a question of time to reduce Sumpter for Wagner is only 1200 yards of Sumpter and with her guns and the [?] playing from the same direction we can soon batter down the walls of Sumpter & when Sumpter falls Charleston is ours Our gunboats have made a reconnaissance up the James river and went near enough to Richmond that they could hear our guns shelling the woods on each side of the River to asertain whether the enemy had any batteries planted for the defense of the River but could not find any as far as they went There is no news of importance from this direction "all is quiet" & bids fair to continue so for some time to come I do not think the Army of the Potomac will move before the latter part of Sept by which time the majority of the Conscripts will have arrived and the Army will be in condition to successfully contend with Lee's Army & I think will take the City of Richmond or necesitate if evacuation in either case the result will be substantively the same for it will give us full sway in Va and the Capital of their bogus Government on which will have a very damaging effect upon their Foreign Affairs News from the Western department is not so full of interest as it has been for some time past. Our forces have succeeded in Capturing the famous Guerilla chieftain John Morgan who has committed so many degradations upon the Union citizens of Tennessee & Kentucky together with his entire command numbering about 12'00 this is a very important event as it secures comparitive safety to the citzens of the afore mentioned States The weather is very warm now and we have to keep in the shade during the middle of the day as much as possible to enjoy ourselves any I cannot think of any thing more of interest to write this time and I do not know as what I have written will interest you and so I will close by requesting you to write soon as convenient and oblige your obedient Son J H Wheeler Co H 44th Regt N.Y.S.V. To Mrs Sarah Wheeler P.S. Please send me a few Postage stamps for they are a scarce article here Yours etc JHWheeler Sarah Wheeler