Camp on Bolivar HeightsSept 10, 1862Dear Wife

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I will again write you a few lines as I have recd the good news that mail will go out at 12 ½ oc it is now noon and my letter will be short We are in the same position as when I last wrote and hard at work. I have just got in from labor with my Co. We have been falling trees. I have heard nothing from those of my company who were left at W- one of them who was detached on the Big Guns was taken and has been parolled he came in here yesterday but knew nothing with regard to the rest. My health is good and as I have no Lieuts I have a pleanty to do to take care of my Company & Books & I presume it will be some time before I will see them again with us. I have heard nothing from home for 1 week and nothing from you for nearly two weeks and as communication is stoped between here and Washington I dont know as I shall hear from you very soon. I understand that our mail goes our by way of Wheeling We hear no news here at all as we get no papers nor letters, and we dont know when or where battles are fought unless we can hear the roar of the cannons and then we have to guess at it, and as we now

hear firing to the west we conclude they are having a brush at Martinsburgh Our Regt is Brigaded with the 60th Ohio & 126th N.Y. under the command of Col Trimble of the 60th O. Reverend S. Clemens is Chaplain of the 115th N.Y. Reg. and they are about ½ mile from here on a hill. We have about 10,000 troops here and are in a very strong position so that we do not much fear being whiped out or driven away. My Company are in very good health and there has been but one death in the Regt since we came here and that by a young man who had been detached in the battery and acted as Corporal. he declared that he would never go back to the Co as a private so he cut his own throat with his Jack Knife and bled to death before he was found he was a member of Co “D” I think my Co. are in the best spirits of any in the Reg. And evry eve they are singing and having lively times and I encourage it and generally take part with them. and I think it serves to keep them from being homesick I can write no more now as it is time my letter was in love to all and Kiss the babies

Truly Your aff Husband V.G. Barney