Civil War letter Williamsburg Battle soldier account "Union Forever" stationery

Description

Fantastic letter written by a soldier who participated in the Battle of Williamsburg, where McClellan's forces clashed with Johnston's and Longstreet's troops at Fort Magruder.
Three days after the battle, on May 8, 1862, an unidentified soldier wrote his account of the battle to his brother
using all four sides of a statement sized
"Union Forever" patriotic stationery.
The letter reads [with multiple spelling and grammatical errors]:
"Dear Brother,
I am well at present and hope these pen lines may find you all enjoying the same blessings. I haven’t heard from you since I send you that money. I send it on last Monday a week by Stress (?) to nethport (?). I couldn’t send it any closer than that. I send you twenty dollars. Write as soon as you get this.
T
hey rebels dident show eny fight at Yorktown the retreated from on Saturday night last back to Williamsburgh. wee started on Sunday morning. wee come through Yorktown on Sunday morning at ten oclock. the where very strong fordifide in Yorktown. whee come on on they road to Williamsburg there was about two hundred ahead gon in a cavalry. the scrimage with some of the secesh in the woulds there was two of our own men kill and four of the rebels. the rebels retreated by that time wee encamped there all night then the next morning we come on tords Williamsburg our regiment was on ahead we come up inside of the fortifications and seen the rebels had made a stand there...it was raining all day it was awful mudy for to go through and then have to fight right a way it was a verry hard fight the kept the firing up all day and through the night the rebels retreated back toards richmond. There was about five hundred cill (kill) and each Side are some otheres that number. I shouldent doubt a bit but there was a bout four thousand wounded of and number and the rebels a bout the same. Our force now retired signal until a bout three o clock then we drove them back out. Some of there in trench ments the reacon
and forces didn’t come up. Soon was an account of the roads been so bad and on Tuesday morning the took ??? ??? of the ports."