I am happy to inform you this time that my health is getting good again for which I am truly thankful. I am also thankful to be able to inform you that J. Entirkin has been mustered out of service and will be bearing of this letter. I will also inform you that I have been unfortunate. On the 22nd of this month I was out from camp about seven (?) mile after corn-we had a train of (35?) waggons having some four to six mules to the waggons (?whole sentence not readable -is on old fold of letter)-and corn gathers and guard(?) was very small. I was one of the corn gatherers that took no arms-after we had got in the field + had got our waggon about half full of corn about six(?) hundred rebels attacked us with double barreled shot guns loaded with buck shot and commanced firing upon us + soon overpowered our guard killed one man dead and seriously wounded four more One of our company was badly wounded James Martin of Mt. Erie Mr. Spitter knows him and took 79 of our men prisoners including + (?) of our corn - + about 50 (?) 17 or 18 (?) about 50 horses, some--and--(illegible) I had pastured my horse where the guard was while gathering corn The horse and horse equipment and a (?) in the saddle my dress jacket was fastened on the back of the saddle. I had some of your letters in the pocket + my Pocket Book with all my money nearly four dollars in it. You are anxious to know I escaped being taken prisoner. I was expecting an attack and consequently I was not taken by surprise. I told several that morning that our train would be cut off some of these days + perhaps it would be taken today. When the attack was made I had no whippons just a pocket knife + as I was not at all excited + consequently I knew the only chance to excape was in running to the thick karn?? + hide in the corn -was about 1/4 mile off so I ran for that and hid until a Relief came from Helena but then soon came 2 or 3 thousand men within 2 or 3 hours after I hid. Part went on after the train + enemy and part stopped to pick up the dead + wounded. The enemy made good their threat with their prisoners and other booty. The next day a body of our men overhauled some rebels in another direction from there and killed 25 rebels and took 11 prisoners and some property. The secess threaten to drive us out + I would not be surprised if they did make an attack upon us. (illegible)will see that we will come off victorius.
