Camp of 2nd Brigade, May 20, 1865

Yesterday evening we came to a camp 2 2/11 miles from Alexandria, Virginia, and five miles from Washington.

I am well, and so are the others that you know in company E.

We left Richmond, Virginia, the 11th day of May and have since marched about one hundred and seventy-five miles.

We crossed the James river the 11th of May and on through Richmond and past the Hanover court house the 12th, and waded across the Rapidan river the 15th. It was four feet deep. And we waded the Rappahannock river the 16th, and Broad Run the 17th, and Bullrun the 18th, and came to Fairfax court house the same day.

Going from Hallespring by Raleigh in the evening the 27th of April. We had orders to march the next day, but at two o’clock in the night an unusual roar that we thought was from cannons, but such a roar that we had never heard the like.

We left the camp at daybreak, the same roar was still in the air. We went out two miles and found it was Rebel bombshells that were burnt up after they had given themselves up as prisoners.

We came to Hillsboro railroad eight miles from Raleigh the 29th of April and thought to continue again the 1st of May, but the 20th corps left on Sunday, the 30th of April, so as to come ahead of us to Richmond. We continued our march the 30th of April.

The 20th corps marched to our right, and the 14th corps to our left.

The first of May we went over the Nerise river and the Tar river, and a large U.S. flag was hoisted by the settlers. They said it was the last flag in North Carolina that was taken down by the Rebels.

The women there chopped a sixty foot pole and hoisted the flag. We stopped there an hour, and all the music in the brigade played in honor for the women.

The second of May we marched through Oxford and Williamsburg. The third of May we crossed the state line in to Mccklenburg county, Virginia, and crossed the Anoka river three miles from the state line, and went through the town of Baylen, and came to Richmond the 7th of May.

I have no news to write.

The army of Tennessee will march through Washington for review the 23rd of May, that is the 15th and 17th corps.

The army of Georgia, namely, the 14th and 20th corps, will march through Washington on review the 24th of May.

We have not received any orders yet, how, or how soon we will leave here.

I have not received any letters for a long time. If there should come a letter to me from Norway, then keep it until I come home.

I don’t think that we will be far from home a month from now.

I don’t know of anything more to write this time.