Hello, all: There is a Civil War letter being auctioned on eBay. The seller transcribed the letter in his description. It is dated Nov. 20th, 1862 and is from Bartley E. Stevenson,Co. D. 34th Regiment-Camp Loop Creek- Kanawha Valley, Virginia & written to his cousin Prembrook S Scott Ohio 118th Regiment-Falmouth, Kentucky. (BTW, every time I see something like this being sold on eBay I remind my children I will come back and haunt them the rest of their days and then nag them after they're dead if any of my genealogical work or family heirlooms end up being auctioned off after I'm dead. Don't forget to make provisions for these things in case your descendants don't want them when you write a will! OK, off my soapbox.) Here is the text: "I herd that you was sick. Joe Scott just got a letter from his brother. It stated that you was with him a guarding a bridge. I that (thought) I would like to hear from you here how you like soldierin'. I suppose you heard we got licked out of the Kanawha Valley. We was at the mouth the Kanawha about a month and we started back up the valley. We are now back at Gauley a distance of one hundred miles. the rebels retreated double quick. thay never shaod fight once we look for a hard fight at Charleston. but they heard that we was a comin' and they got up and saddled. We had a large force, but no fight. The hard fight that we had was on the tenth of Sept. at Fayetteville fifteen miles from here. Our regt. and the Ohio 57th but the rebles was too much for us we had to retreat. We retreated to Charleston and there we had another fight. We retreated to the point and was there awhile and now we are now back. If we ever have to retreat again I won't stop til I get home. every time we have had a fight we had to retreat was over powered. Snook I have begin to think that we can't whoop the rebels as easy as we thought we could. I am a geting so I don't care whether I live or die. It looks as if our Gen. did not want to fight. they will fool a long til there will be a compromise made. We have got the men if they(blank) go to work. Well I must close Snook what part country in KY where you are. Virginia where I have bin is nothing but mountains. you won't see a gentle sex but once in a month they are far and few between. I have all most forgot how to talk to one. I suppose they are more plenty in KY. ... I suppose you have heard that Miller was wounded in the fight at BULL RUN. he is at Washington he will be a cripple. ... Snook has gone to war he is in KY somewhere. Clay Scott is in the 113 Regiment. I bid you farewell."