Hanover Court House, Va., May 25th, 1864.
I left Fredericksburg on Sunday to rejoin my regiment in order to get my parole papers, as I can do nothing without them. We are now within twenty-six miles of Richmond, and very much nearer to Lee’s army, which I consider vastly more important.
I find that during my absence Grant and Lee have “locked horns” nearly every day, with no decided advantage on either side. Grant is now crossing the North Anna with the hope of finding a more vulnerable point. I find the Seventeenth taken from the brigade and doing provost duty at Wilcox’s headquarters. They were nearly annihilated at Spottsylvania on the 12th inst., and muster but 125 men. I am not doing any duty. The position in which I find myself is annoying, but I bear it patiently as possible, firmly believing I did my duty. I do not seem to have lost friends in the regiment—rather the reverse. I still expect to get home before a great while.
