Head Quarters 44th Regt N.Y.S.V.
  Beverly Ford on the Rappahannock Riv
			Aug 22nd 1863

      Dear Mother
	                 I received your
kind note of August 16th yesterday
& was glad to hear from home, of
your health & prosperity & hope this
will find you in the enjoyment of
the same great blessings. My health
is not good but it is much better
than when last I wrote & I am doing
duty with the company
     We occupy the same position as when
I wrote last & there is not much prospect
of an immediate change, every thing is
quiet at the front with no signs of
a fight very soon. the conscripts are
beginning to arrive at the Head Quarters
of the Army and are being distributed to
the different Brigades, one Regt in
our Brigade has received 150 and we are
expecting some in our Brig Regt before long

Good news continues to come from Charleston
our men have erected a battery of 200
Pounder rifled Parott guns on Morris Island
and in practicing at Fort Sumpter the other
day they knocked 2 holes through the solid
wall. the holes were 4 feet across. at
such a rate as that it would not take
long to make Sumpter a pile of ruins
it was thought the attack would be made
on [?] monday last but we have not
heard the news from there so that date
Fort Sumpter will have to fall but it will
take some time after she falls to reduce
the city for they have other works nearer
the city which will have to be battered
down before we can reach the city
unless Admiral Dalgren should conclude
to burn the city - which he could do
from fort Sumpter but I think he
take his time for it & save private
property. the Rebels have said they would
burn the city before it should fall
into possession of the "Yankees" but come
to have the case brought before them
in reality I guess they would call
"discretion the better part of valor" and

     let the city remain. it is quite
amusing to read the boasts of the
southern Press over their strongholds &
see the results of their "dying in the last 
ditch" system which they [mangerated?]
last fall, it does not appear to agree
with their ideas of chivelry to "die in the
last ditch"
	I have not heard from George
since about the time he wrote
home N he was then in Memphis
& expected to start in a few days
for Utah Utah
     I received a letter from Cousin
Hattie A Hamilton this week
the folks were all well when she
wrote.          I would like to have you
send me 2 or 3 stamps each time
you write for I cannot get any here
those you sent came safe.
   	If you need any of the money
I have sent home use it if
not I have written to Mary that
Wm could have the use of it till
next fall if he does not take it
have Father put it in some good

use.      I can think of no
more to write this time
      Write Soon and accept this
from Your affectionate Son
		J H Wheeler
	       Co H 44th Regt N.Y.S.V.
			Washington
				D.C.
To Ms
	Sarah Wheeler
     Yorkshire Centre
	[?] County
				New York