Wednesday, July 13, 1864 - Marietta, Georgia

[67]

Head Quarters 20^th Reg,t CV.

Marietta Ga, Wednesday July 13^th 1864

Dear Wife

I now seat myself to answer your letter of June 26^th written at Haddam in the old back chamber whare we have spent many an hour together, but whether we shall ever have the pleasure of spending any more time together in that place we know not, but I hope the time is not far distant when we shall again be permitted to enjoy each others society, in that or some other good place, I received your letter yesterday was glad to hear that you was well it found me well & am the same to day and I hope when this reaches you it will still find you in good health, Oh how the flies act It seams as if they would eat a fellow up this is the greatest country for flies that I ever see you have no idea about it I cant write they bother me so, it wants as much as two niggars to keep them off from a fellow, I am about 15 miles nearer to Atlanta then when I wrote to you before, we left [Ackworth??] on the fourth of July and went to big Shanty about six miles stayed there untill Monday of this week when we came to this place Marietta, this is a very pretty place the finest that I have seen in the south it is about two miles from here to the foot of Kennesaw mountain whare the rebs were so strongly fortified our army had to whale away at them about two weeks before they could rout them but they had to get up and get at last, and they are all across the Chattahoocha river now, the cars run 9 or 10 miles below Marietta, there is some move on foot I do not know any thing about what it is but the 15^th Corps is passing through here to day they com from the front about sixteen miles below here, yesterday I went on to Kennesaw mountain and saw where the rebs was intrenched they had some splended brestworks I tell you we should think that we could stand the whole rebel army if we had such a position as they had, our Regt is stoping now in a larg brick building it was Marietta collage. I understand that it belonged to the government of the United States before the war and that it has been used for a milatary school of late and some say that it was always used for that, I have had a number of meals of string beans and two good messes of peas something that I had not tasted of before since I left home I suppose you would like to know how I got them I will tell you the women in this section bring them into camp and trade them off for coffee pork hard bread or anything that they can get to eat I tell you they are hard up for somthing to live on after the army passes along for the boys take every thing that they can get hold of in many instances they dont leave them a thing. I must close my love to you and best wishes: from your Husband A.C. Smith