Note: Spelling, grammar, and punctuation appear as in the original.
July the 26th 1864 - Camp near Atlanta, Geo.
Dear father It is with great pleasure that I seat my self this morning to let you know that I am well at preasant and hoping these fiew lines may finde you In the same health. I received your kinde letter baring date July 15th and was glad to here from you and to here [hear] that you was a getting a long with your harvesting so well. you said you was a going to wrighte me a big letter the next Sonday. I shall look out for it. I captured lots of wrighting paper the other morning that the rebs had captured of our boys and then they was killed and I got it. this fighte took place on the 22 of July and a tremendious fighte it was. in stead of playing snake in the grass, we played it in the corn field, for we lay on the ground and fired. not any brest works [breastworks], onley 2 or 3 railes in front of us and onley one line of us and the rebs was fore [four] Regts. deep in front of us and charged on us twice and we drove them back twice and they left. they were drunk, for they came up at a righte sholder shift arms and said surender 17th army corps, but we could not see it in that way. we were never drilled that way. there were 13 killed in our regt., 58 wounded. 3 died since they were wounded. We held our ground and chew cartridges for life. they came so closte to the 38 OVI that they took a Captain by the coat colar and took him off with them. I got 3 pones of johney cake out of a dead rebs knap sack. they were a fighting all a round us. they tried hard to get our wagon train, but they hapend not to get it, but things looked rather billious while we were a fighting. the rebs tried to shell our line and they shelled there [their] own, so it answerd very well for us and pleased us mutch. it is very warm here days and coald nights. we piled our knapsacks up and now said the kerned [colonel], boys you must fighte for your knapsacks or you will lose them. we tolde him that we would do it. the kernel [colonel] got 3 or 4 bulet holes in his coat tail.
It is very fogy here this morning. we are very heavy fotifyed [fortified] here now. the rebs was in line yesturday in front of us. we expected them to make another charge but they did not come. the Corps that we fought was never whipped before so they said. It was Hardies Corps 3. we took a large number of prisoners, but I do not know how many. I have not heard. there were a bout 60 dead rebs lay on a bout a half acher [acre] of ground. we can see there scremish [skirmish] line from our camp and they shoot over here every time one of us pokes up our head. they shot one out of the 78 OVI yesturday morning plumb threw [through] the head and killed him dead on the spot. your letter had paper in that you sent to me. I got it. this is some of the paper that I got.
Well I b[e]lieve that I have tolde you all the News for this time So No more at Preasant. Good By.
From Andrew Altman to John Altman
Excuse my mistakes and bad wrighting and my short letter.
