Hampton   [Penciled in [Va] ]
	Camp No 10 Near Yorktown
		April 22nd 1862
	Loved ones at. home
			I again seat
     myself to have a little chat with 
you by means of the silent pen.. I
have been quite unwell for a few days
past but feel much better to day..
Harvey is somewhat unwell but nothing
of a serious nature.. there is a large
number of soldiers sick in our regt
at present more than there ever was at 
one time before.. we have lost about
thirty by disease since the regiment was
organised and have not lost one by the
bullet.. The seige progresses slowly but
surely.. there is from 15 to 20000 men
working in the trenches all the time day
and night.. it is said that Jeff
Davis is here and commands in person
visiting me I am in good health 

[Written on right hand side of Scan 1]

there has not been much fighting yet but you can 

[End]

[Written upside down on top of Scan 1]

look out for news the last of next
week  Write soon good bye
			J H Wheeler
[line illegible in original]
[End]

the rebels have got about 100000
troops here as near as we can find
out and Gen McClellan sayes he 
does not care how many they get for the
move we take here the sooner the war
will close.. he sayes when he begins in
earnest (which he will do as soon as he
gets his seige guns planted) he is
going to give them sixty shells per 
minute what will make it pretty
warm for them.. we have also got
a kind of shell called the fluid shell
which it is impossible to put out
and if he cannot do any better he
will burn them out..  I do not think
that the infantry will see much
fighting here for it will mostly be
done with the artilery.. I hear that this
regiment is to be called home after
Yorktown is taken how true the report
is I cannot tell.  Our forces have 
gained two brilliant victories in
the south west one at [island?] No 10

     where commodore foot captured
     5000 prisoners and 5000 stand of 
  arms 110 peices of artilery 200 hogs heads
of sugar 500 barrels of molasses large
quantities of ammunition. horses, mules,
wagons, tents etc.. and did not lose
a man in the time.. the other battle
was at Pittsburg Landing this resulted
in the defeat of the enemy with a
loss of 10000 killed wounded and
missing.. our loss was 2000 including 
[?] three thousand prisoners.. this will be
about the end of secesh in the south
west..  we can hear the cannons roar
most all times of day and night
from where we are encamped and
sometimes we can see the shells burst
in the air but we have got so used
to it that we do not mind it so
much as we would thunder at home 
keep up good courage for I have faith
to believe that we shall be at home to
spend the fourth of July

     Tell Mary she will have
   will have to excuse me this
time for I have written till I am
pretty well tired out and that I
will answer her note as soon
as I can.  tell Olivia I will
answer hers as soon as possible
Give my love to all enquiring friends
Write as soon as convenient and
excuse poor writing and mistakes
     This from the absent 
			J H Wheeler
	Saturday April 26th 62
     We have recd our pay and
inclosed is $15 out of which
please pay Mr [Chittenden?] his
demand with use.. the rest you
can use toward buying a cow if you
want to and next pay day which will
be in 3 or 4 weeks, I will send you $20 to
pay the [?] toward the cost of you
[buy?] one and I should have sent 5 dollars
more this time but I lent some to
[?] last pay day and he was to pay
me this pay day but his folks [?]
[?]