John McCoy, letter, to Martha McCoy, 1864 June 19

My expectations were rea-lised yesterday by receiving a letter from you bearing date the 6th inst. in answer to mine of the 28th ultimo when I heard the three whistles the signal of the mail Boat I was almost certain the mail Bags contained some -thing for me. ere this you may be in receipt of one and perhaps two letters from me dated the 6th and 13th of June respectively. but since ^writing^ to you has become a pleasure I avail myself of a few leasure moments of sending you a few lines in haste as the mail will soon close—

your letter is as gratifying to me in the extreme as it always will be when it conveys the news that you are all well (the family) but I regret to learn that sister Margaret-Jane is so unwell but I trust and hope she will soon recover it seems hard to think of one like her so young and full of mirth to be cut down with sickness. but when I say she is at home and not in North Carolina or Virginia I say it all, I am also sorry to hear of my fathers feebleness I am some afraid the heat this summer [illegible: [guess (MKR): will]] go hard with him however I hope he will wither the storm until I get home if fate has decreed that ever that should be- this is the first day that I have done duty for about a week. when drilling on one of the heavy Columbiads in the fort I was struck by an iron bar on the side of the face which rendered me senseless for some length of time it was caused by a sudden reaction of one of the front wheels getting out of geer which accurs very often however I consider myself very fortun-ate for if the blow had took effect on any other part of the head the writer would ere this have been in the silent grave however I am thankful to the almighty for sparing me thus far —I am sorry to say I can give you no account of Thomas or gardner at present that might come to the conclusion that they were yet safe. but were I placed in the same position as as my Brother David I would watch their movements almost daily though the medium of the N.Y Herald, (Daily) without respect to cost for a few weeks— all I know of the Division to which my Brother is attached I have written to you in a former letter. Since I last wrote to you I saw a list of the Casualities of the 1st and 2d inst where the 8th N.Y. Heavy Artilley suffered ^[top]his name is pt. Porter^ severely I believe that is the Regt. to which Gardner belongs (I have lost his address you will please send it to me) Company I if such is the case the Col. is shot and the 1st Lieut. in gardners Co. in the same paper I saw the name of John Sellers 98 N.Y. ^Malone^ wounded in the neck. however it may not be Jaes. Boy as I saw in another paper a man of the same ^name^ in the same Battle put down to the 118th Penn. my health is good at present the little accident excep-ted but the weather is very warm it often occurs that men fall in the ranks from the excessisive heat. all is quiet here at present rumors reached here last night that the Rebels has been seen in strong force by our pickets across the Neuse River oppssite the city at fort Anderson but I give no credence to the story I believe we are still under Marching orders for the front, space will permit no more than for me to subscribe my-self