Allegany to Appomattox: The Life and Letters of Private William Whitlock of the 188th New York Volunteers

10. “We Will Probley Have to Go”: Battle of Hatcher’s Run II (Dabney’s Mills)

145 10 “We Will Probley Have to Go” Battle of Hatcher’s Run II (Dabney’s Mills) Letter 39 In Camp Feb. 3rd . . . 1865 My Dear Wife I have just reced yours of the 25th and hasten to ansur it. I reded one day befour yesterday dated the 23rd. I know well enough that I knot get all of your letters but I cant complain of you. I wrote one to you yesterday and now am writing another but when I get one form you I always ansur it if I have time rite away. our compiny are all detaled to day to work on a fort repairing it and there is onley four or five left in camp. it seams quite lonesome. I am doing the cooking alone since Hughs went to the hospatle but will have a man detaled I guess tomorrow to help me. I should have had one to day but they wanted all that was able to work to go out on that detale. they are two or three miles from camp in the direction of paetersburg. I dont hear eny thing about our moving since day befour yesterday . some say that the order is countermanded. I think they expected some kind of a movement among the rebles and was going to operate against them. I heard last night that there was two corpse from the Shanenday coming over hear and we was going to extend our lines fifteen miles farther South acrst the Weldon road but it is all rumer and 146  Allegany to Appomattox we cant tel whither eny thing is trew or not but I hope we shant have to brake camp agana til it is time of year that we shant have to bild winter quarters agane for I have got tired of bulding shantyes. but our corpse is the resurve corpse and liabel to be called on at eny time if they want to reinforce eny part of the armey. we will probley have to go. oh how I do hope they can manage to settle this war up so we can reenforse our homes instead of the armey. that would be a more pleasing task to do. if half of the talk we hear is true they are doing thear best but I dair not hope to strong for fear the disapointment will be worse. but we will hope for the best and if it dont come we will put up with the worst. it is not quit as pleasant to day as it was ban for a week. I guess we are a going to have a cold rain storm. Euzetta asks me what I do for a razor. I use a small pear of sisors. when the hair gets to long on my face I shear it off. that is all the shaving I do. if you stay there where you are I hope it will be so you can send zetta to school down to Olean next spring. she tells me that she has got over half way through her Arithmatic. I think she has done well. how dos Stanley get along with his studys? dos Clary and Hankey learn very fast? tel Hankey pa will have to ansur his letter as soon as he gets a little time but I have no time now for it is such a long one. it will take me a good whild to write an ansur. Well Lide I have cooked pork to day and have got my beans on to make a bean soup for the boys when they come in to night. I must get that don by four o clock so I can have thear coffe. I would have had the soup for dinner if they had ben in camp. Well I cant think of anything more to write so I might as well close. Bob Wright told me today that he had a letter from Alegany and the report there that George Lowe is did. have you heard any thing about it? Write often. my love to all. no more so good by. yours truly Will “We Will Probley Have to Go”  147 In the fall and early winter of 1864, Will was involved in two offensives by the Union army to reduce the supplies to the CSA Army of Northern Virginia. The first of these offensives was the first Battle of Hatcher...