To Mary Milroy From RH Milroy Sept 4 1862

              Head Quarters Milroys Brigade 
 
10 Miles West of Washington City D.C. 
 
Sept 4th, 1862 
 
 
 
My Dear Mary, 
 
 
 
	I avail myself of the first 
 leisure moment to let you hear from me 
 after some weeks of silence during all  
of which time I have been most intensely  
occupied—most of the time—night and day 
 marching—countermarching—skirmishing  
and fighting-some days—most desperately  
as you will have learned by the papers  
Sigels Corps has done the greater part  
of the fighting and my Brigade has all the 
 time the advance of Sigels corps and 
 of course I was in the hottest furnace of  
the fighting first and last all the time when 
death destruction reigned around and being 
 all the time on horseback and most of the time 
 in front, I have been fired at thousands of times and 
my having escaped so far untouched is miraculous 
 and providential.  
 
 
 
I have got so used to the hissing of 
 cannon and musket ball around me that they fail to 
 excite my interest unless some of my boys are struck  
by them. My horse, too, a fine bay, escaped untouched  
with the terrible fight of Saturday last when he  
recd. A ball to the side of his head. he is still  
living but will probably die as his head is so swollen 
 he cannot eat – He is the 3rd horse I have had 
 since Jasper was shot. 
 
 
 
 One is nearly dead with 
 distemper and I have but one fit for service – a  
fine gray captured by my boys from a Majr on  
Jackson’s staff at the battle of Cheat Mountain  
but he is nearly run down by the constant hard 
 riding I have to do and I must buy another soon.