It is with heartfelt grattitude to a kinde Providence that I am spared to write to you on this glorious day the fourth of July and lett you know how and whare I am I am well and hope when this reaches you it will find you all the same before you receive this you probably will hear of the army of the Potomac doing something their has been a terable battle fought here at Gettysburg the fighting has been going on four days before to day

I have not heard any fightting this morning but do not know but we may have more of it before night, but hardly think we shall here to day for there appears to be no rebls near hear. I hear that they are on the retreat this morning and the 6th Corps has gone to cut them off

[T]he fight was commenced by the cavalry four days ago the morning before we got to Littletown we arived here Wednesday. they was fighting hard when we got here we was drawed up in line of battle wednesday about two Oclock expecting an attack every moment but it did not come we marched and counter marched all the afternoon and finerly night came without our seeing any of the fight we rested through the night was call up early in the morning started off without any brakefast to the place whare our fought yesterday we got here early in the day and threw up breastworkes, the fight was going on all this time in the afternoon

[J]ust at night it was thought that the rebs was getting the best of us and our division was ordered to the left of whare we then lay to support that section but our boys proved anough for them for they had silenced them just as we got there, the rebs had a battery playing onto us all the way from whare we started till we got wheare it was thought we should be needed one in our Regiment was knocked down by a cannon ball it struck his gun and broke it all to peaces but did not hurt him very much we had to drop to the ground often to save our heads from the shell, the battery was taken from them just as we got there, as soon as it was found that we ware not neaded we started back for our intrenchments but when we got nearly back it was found that the rebs had com in and taken possession of our breastworkes whilst we was gone so we ware drawed up in line of battle and lay out in an open cornfield till morning when the ball opened at about half past four we was in the engagement till half past eleven we was then relieved as we supposed for the day by another Regiment we marched off about half a mile and commenced cooking coffee before some of them had got their fire built we was ordered to fall in and move to some other place so we had to leave without our grub there is not much time to cook in a battle I tell you

[W]e went back to the same place whare we was in the forenoon we had but just got onto the ground when an artillery fight commenced and a fierce fight it was to the way the rebs shelled us I tell you was a caution they played at us the best they knew how for about three hours we was in the woods at the time and no one knew but each minute was his last the shells flew thick and fast they struck all around me burst and fly in all directions one piece struck me on the heel of my shoe they burst amongst the trees over head and some of the small pieces fell down onto me the sollid shot and Railroad iron howled offerly, one cannon ball struck the ground about three feet from me it mad the dirt fly a little I tell you,

[T]he forenoon fight was all musketry on the part of the rebs our folks shelled them most of the forenoon to clear them out of the woods and the intrenchments that we built the day before. but we finally routed them we proved too much for them this time we drove them like blazes

[L]ast night I slept on the field of battle with dead rebs all around me I eat my supper and brakefast in les than a rod of one there has been a big slaughter of rebs at this battle and their loss in prisners was heavy we took about twelve thousand yesterday and four thousand this morning Generals Hill and Longstreat ware taken prisners. I hear that Longstreat is dead died this morning from an wound,

[I]t rains now like sixty and I have got to stop writing, it is now Sunday morning been very rainy all night have a chance to send this so I cant write so much as I would I am well this morning, my love to you all

From your affecttionate
Husband and Father

A.C. Smith