Letters of Pvt. Sam T. Smith, 15th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment from West Virginia 1861

September 21, 1861
Camp Elkfork
Randolph County, Va.

Dear Wife,

I am not very well at this time having caught a great deal of cold and today I have a considerable pain my right shoulder, which feels like rheumatism. I am not so bad but what I can go around. I received a letter from you yesterday which was not unwelcomed for when it is so long before I get a letter from you I take the blues. You stated in your letter that you were drying fruit and you would like to have me there to eat some with you. Can guess whether it would suit me or not. There is no fruit in this country worth naming and what is here is not ripe. You also wrote to me that they got a letter from W.S. Cook in which he stated that they were within three miles of the rebels. I can inform you that I have been within a mile and perhaps a mile and a half. Company F and D were on picket eight about 8 miles from our Camp, when one morning they commenced firing on our pickets. There were two men from each company sent out to assist them but they proved to be too strong for them. There was about 20 to 8. They killed one man in Company F and wounded three in Company D. Their sixty were advanced guards. Behind them there was a force of about three or four thousand. Consequently, we had to fall back to our Camp. They came on down within two miles of our Camp. We expected a fight every hour. Every man that was able had to beat his post night day for about three days. They finally concluded they could see just as well a little off and fell back to their old camp. So we have not had a fight yet and I have no idea when we will. We are pretty well fortified. One of the prisoners that was brought in the other day says that all hell could not come through here. I am of the opinion if they were to try it the would have a nice old time of it, but they will not try it I don't think as to the force of men and cannon we have here. It is not prudent for me to state. I really don't know the exact number of each but I don't think there has been three weeks of fair weather since we come in the State. Put it all together I could tell you a great number of things if I only was with you a while. They say that the Rebels have got up confusion among themselves. I understand that they had a fight among themselves, killing several of them. I received a letter from father yesterday. It gave me some satisfaction to learn his sentiments on this question. I will send it to you and you can get someone to read it for you. If there is anyone there scholory enought to read it and make sense of and then hand it to Milton Short perhaps it will be interesting to him. Give my respects to him and his family. I want you to tell Leon to write to me for I wrote to him sometime ago and have not recieved an answer. If he knew how glad I would be to get a letter he would write. I think I could read a letter from anyone there with gladness except one that is there. Lizzie kiss Joe and Ella for me. Give my respects to all friends and relation. My kindest affections for yourself. I remain your husband, until death.

S.T. Smith to e. Smith