Letter from a Member of the Grant County Grays.
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We are permitted to publish the following letter from W. B. Reed, of Capt. McKee’s Company:
CAMP PECK, near Arlington Heights,
Fairfax County, Va., July 14, 1861.
Dear Friends: – This is Sunday evening and I have just returned from dress parade, taken off my accoutrements and coat and placed my gun in the corner of the tent, with my belt and cartridge box hung over the muzzle, right where I can lay my hands upon them at any hour of the night. Our parade always come off every evening in the week, and since we have been here we have had our regular battallion and other drills upon the Sabbath about the same as other days. Last evening orders were published at parade which indicate that we are to march toward Manassas in a day or two at the farthest. The orders were relative to our baggage and rations; we are to carry with us our blankets, which are rolled into long, close rolls and sling over our shoulders. Our knapsacks, which must not weigh more than ten lbs., are to be either sent to Alexandria or left here with our tents with a guard of one hundred men. The cooks must be ready to cook three day’s rations whenever the order is given. In fact, this whole army is like a train of cars with the passengers all seated, with full steam up in the engine, the machinery oiled and the whole ready to thunder forward at a slight movement by the engineer. Our engineer is Gen. Winfield Scott; he has been laying his plans for months and now it is evident that he is about to strike the blow, and the rebels must either fight with certain defeat staring them in the face or ignominiously run. If they make a determined stand at Manassas, where it is said that they have extensive fortifications and a force of about eighty thousand men, the battle will necessarily be a bloody one. The result of this battle can hardly be questioned, as we have a much superior force, and it will probably be approached from three sides at once with three large armies. * *
A few days ago we saw a balloon over one of the regiments which is three or four miles in advance of us and apparently at the height of about two hundred feet; it remained but a short time, when it again descended to the earth.
Our regiment is unusually healthy now; when we first came here the men were a good deal troubled with dysentery, but no we have become more used to the climate and water and but few are complaining. I think it is very remarkable that our regiment has not lost a man either by disease or in any other manner since I enlisted; I don’t know that any had died before. The young man who was so severely injured near Harrisburg has since recovered and a few days ago rejoined the regiment. My health is excellent; in fact I never felt better in my life. The other Lancaster boys are well, I believe.
I must hurry to finish this as soon as possible for the roll has already been called and I am expecting to hear the drum tap for lights out. Our mail carrier starts for Washington about 6 o’clock in the morning.
Yours,
W. B. Reed
Grant County (Lancaster, WI) Herald, 7/24/1861
Contributed by John Hennessy
William Boardman Reed at Ancestry
William Boardman Reed at Fold3
William Boardman Reed at FindAGrave
Harry Smeltzer
Bull Runnings 
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