Encamped on the Summit Point & Berryville Road
                             October 31st.  Clark Co Virginia

Friend Wm [McCauley[]
                  Sir, your letter written att Uncle Hikman’s
and kindly carried by cousin Daniel came to hand in due
time and was thankfully received by me and perused with
interest–I was glad to learn that you were enjoying yourself
so well among your friends–I should have liked very much
to share some of those sweets of kind friends with you
but circumstances forbade it–I am sorry that your hand
is not yett well   I had hoped that you would not be troub-
led with it again–As you were homeward bound I
learned that you in company with cousin Annie & Phillip
spent the night at my Father’s–How much I should
liked to meet you there–I supposed ere this you would
have written me a letter, in response to the one I wrote you
while encamped on the Opequon river.  I was quite
unwell from the 21st of Sept. till the 1st Inst.  Since that
time I have been in the enjoyment of good health–
  Our Battery has not been engaged in any fight since the
Battle of Sharpsburg.  Our old Brigade was engaged
in a skirmish on the 1st Inst. Colonel Reynolds
commanding the Brigade was severely wounded–
also major Williams of 5th Va. Regiment–The loss in killed
and wounded are estimated at about thirty–On the
day of the fight our Battery was ordered to unite with

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the 1st Regiment of Va. Artillery, commanded by Col.
Brown of Richmond, Lieutenant Colonel–Mr Coleman
late professor of the University of Va.  We are the reserve
Artillery for General Jackson’s Corps–Therfore[sic]  for-
tunately or unfortunately for us as the case may be we es-
caped the fight–The Regiment consists of six compa-
nies–each company has a battery consisting of four pieces-
the guns of the regiment are Howitzers, three inch rifled, and
Parrott guns–Our battery consists of two twenty  Pounder
and two ten Pounder Parrott guns–Tuesday the 28th we left our
camp near Bunkerhill, and on the evening of the same day we
arrived at this place–We have orders to leave this place this even-
ing or int he morning for Snicker’s Ferry–on the Shenandoah
river–Jackson’s entire corps is in the immediate neighborhood
of this camp–I suppose we are going into eastern Virgin-
ia-Everything is quiet-There are a few yankees yet at
Harper’s Ferry–On last Sunday we had a fine ran-
It has been somewhat cool here–also extremely dry-
I saw your brother the other day–He is well and
sends his compliments to you–We received a letter
from you not long since–I received a box of provisions from
home last Monday–Since than our mess has been enjoying camp
life very much–I have nothing more of interest-
give my best regards to Uncle & Aunt and all the rest of the family
Please write soon,   Yours in kindness
                                        David

               Direct yours:
David Link
    Rockbridge Artillery
  1st Virginia Regiment Artillery
        Commanded Col. Brown Command’g
                             Jackson’s Corps
                                  Winchester, Va.

MSS 14953