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

My expectations were rea
-lised yesterday by receiving a letter
from you bearing date the 6^th inst.
in answer to mine of the 28^th 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 13^th 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 2^d inst where
the 8^th 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 1^st Lieut. in gardners C^o. 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 118^th 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