Letter:
Gariley Nicolas County
Augst the 29th 1861

Deare Father i seate myself to rite you a few lines to let you know that i am in tolerable
good health at this time and i hope that when Comes to your _______ that they
may b_____ and ______ and ______ special _______ root moving ninety mile
_____ ______ ______ ________ and doble duty in geting read for the line, and
sighting them on Sunday Aug 25th we begun to fortify lines and _______ _______ and
late in the evening run pickets ______ double quick time and _____ the evening was
in quietns ____ a more of our lines and our _____ ______ ______ ______ and lay
_____ our work ____ for _____ they did not cone and ______ morning over
_____ out ______ me. Them at ______ can three _____ (an entire line is missing due
to a fold in the paper.) Cut them off ______ not one of them sentne fire on us distance
from them in the _____ that we was taking to surround them we opened the fire on
them at two hundred and fifty yards form them and the first they begun to and gave
them but one _____ and ______ was to get away if they could he tried to get a white
flag to hoist

but he could not get as much as a white handkerchief and he ran way and left his men
our men behaved very well we wone the first men that fires on then and we fired till we
were ordered to cease firing in oredered to out flank them and getbetween them and
the mountains but we did not sucessed in our object for they fot to the woods and
escaped (one line missing due to fold in the page) they returned the fire with some
spirit and bravery from behind the lines and some houses we completely routed them
with the loss of from five hundred kiled and wounded and one hundred twenty five
prisoners and we had forty men kiled and twenty wounded then was many men from
Lee hurt in the fight one of captin Salian men was shot in the shoulder it was a man by
the name of _______ ______, ______ yankyes shot throu the head and
his brains is partly run out and he is stil alive and Can tell we men the enemy _____
and we taken three wagons and overcoming our cavelry _____ a kight _____ on
Sunday last at the hawksnest ______ was two hundred of our cavery and the enemys
strength was not known but it was thought that there

was two thousand of the enemy our men had to run and several of them was wounded
and Samuel Duffs son gorome was taken prisoner and Lieutenant James La______
was wounded and Daniel Garrison was shot in the arm but not very vad we have
strong force here and there is more coming i have not heard from brother Van for some
time he is still with girll, i have nothing ______ of any importance to rite to you i
want you to hurry Wiett up and let him finnish my house so my wife can get in it before
cold weather. [i want some lumber sawed for a new house] i want you to rite without
fail for nothin would be more pleasing to me at this time than to here from you fore it
has been a long time since i have heard from you i have not had _____
______ since i left home and that John Johnston carrieds it to me and it makes very
lonsom owing to brother bing absent and my friend and family being sow foar from me
throu it is not sow hard when i think that i am in the service of my country and that i am
doing my duty and i hope that i will bee able to see you ______ once more and live

and enjoy the Comfort of a private life and the happiness of my family and friends but i
want my country to bee at peace first if it can ______ then i will return to the bosom of
my family an friends ______ at present but remain your most affectionate son.

John C Olinger jr.

Write C Olinger jr.

August the 31st :61

Deare father i have just ______ yours of the wwnd which gave me greate satisfication
to learn that you are well but i am sorryto learn that Brother Van is still sick i rite home
for ______ you have you home and will not get the letter i rote to Withville i have states
_______ in my letter that i have to say and i will rite you so i wat you to rite to me soon
and give mee the particulars. Direct your letters to Louisbur in the care of Lieut J. C.
Olinger company A 50th Regiment
Floyds Brigade