June 2nd 1864

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                                                                            William H Tatum

  • 
    Hanover Co. near Cold Harbor
    June 2nd 1864
    It really seems hard to realize that I am in fours hours walk
    of home. From present appearances, I had just as well be far distant

    for all purposes of visiting.
    I enclose some private notes, as before, which please preserve.
    You see I have been some little under fire but none of any account.
    My piece is at present in position in rear of where the fighting
    occurred on yesterday & out of sight. The enemy take about 200
    yards of our works. We had no artillery at the point. Our acting on
    the defensive enables them to concentrate heavily at any one point
    & we must not expect to be uniformly successful in repelling these
    attacks when they come as they did on -yesterday in overwhelming numbers.
    It was a small affair however though they will magnify it to a big victory.
    It is now my turn to complain of you for not writing. Write
    often. One of our number, John Mosely was killed 31st. He
    was a good fellow & went out from Richmond with us in .61. Another
    “Carey Eggleston”, who lost an arm at Spotsylvania, died
    last Sunday. Our wounded are doing well. May these dispensations of
    God's providence be sanctified to the good of our souls.
    There has been skirmishing all the morning but no attack. Our
    rations of meat has been doubled so we get plenty to eat. Tell T. to
    come & see us, we will put him in a ditch where the balls wont hit
    him. John has the greatest curiosity about everything, at Spot. CH a
    shell came over & struck in the
     ground to our rear fifty yards, out he runs & digs it up to see what
    sort of a thing it was, there was little firing at the time. He is
    driving a t present & as we usually send the horses to the rear, he is
    not apt to be in as much danger as some of the rest of us. He is also
    enabled to carry our baggage on a march on his horses. But do not let
    us think too much of safe places, but rather trust in God & that His
    all seeing eye is upon us wherever we are. Write & don't copy my style
    in writing public news but write home news.
    With tender love to all.
    Your affectionate brother,
    William

    
    P.S. I am now sitting under five fine cherry trees, and I have just
    eaten just as many as I wanted. Our guns are about half a mile in the
    rear of the fighting and of course some balls come over here, but I
    have a deep hole by the side of my horses to get in. I will give you
    some idea how fast the guns have been shooting this morning, just as
    fast as I can count.
    I would like very much to see you all but there is no chance to go
    home while the fighting is going on. I would like very much if T.
    could come to see us but I don’t know where he is so we are our selves
    let lone directing him.
    J . C. Tatum

    
    

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    I guess with my Great Grand Dad Digging up cannon balls, I can consider myself luck to be here !

    DT.