Below you'll find 2 letters written by Rec Dalton of the Hampton Legion.

The first letter is dated near Malvern Hill ("Camp ner mav ven hill") 25 Jul 64, and discusses a skirmish the company had a day or two before, in which 2 LT Robert C. Thomasson ("Lutenan tomison") was killed. ("he was all the wane [one] that was heated [hurted"] Reck was not one to mince words, or stand on his honor. He said, "we fit them abat two hourer but we had to fall back and you ogt [ought] to
just sead me run" He says that Jim Crack "... look verry well now he ant no [near] as fat as he was when I left home with him ..." He talks about having his father purchase a second horse for $600, which he will pay by applying his bounty of $100 and selling his furlough.

The letter of July 29 is not that descriptive. Incidentally, Reck rarely uses any punctuation. He wrote: "July the 29 1864 I take my pen in hand once more to let you know that I am well at this time hoping when these few lines come to hand it will find you all
well at the present par [Pa] we air laying in line of battle on the Charles City road. We had been laying here in line of battle foer days at night we go to ourer [our] horses and stay all night tell [till] the next morning and then go to ourer breast work for the day Ther air plenty of Yankey hear we had A hard fight last Tuesday Thir was sevel kill and wounded out of the Legion billey saxson was kill out of ourer company the ball fell all around me just like hail mother the ball schorch [scorched] the wal [welt] off my coat I tell you that tha rub me clost but thank god tha never heart [hurt] me par we had A little skirmish Wensday
eaven writ [right] wher [where] tha had the seven day attle before richmon par Jim Crack don't clar [care] for shotting off of him I have shot sevll time off of him I was on picit the other day me and tom charlds [Thomas Charles, a private in Co F] and four yankey come out in the road be fall [before] us and we shot at them and we went back jest as hard as ourer horses cud take us I don't know whether we kill enny or not I never tuck time to look I slap my
spurs to jim crack and he taken me Away in herry [hurry] and the yankeys shotting at us jest as hard as tha cood I hant got room to finish

L. R. Dalton