Holograph, signed.

In this letter, Augustus Hesse recounts in dramatic detail the arrival in a carriage of Mr. [R. Warren] Weston, Anne W. Weston, and Emma F. Weston and his happiness at their visit. He tells of hearing about the rebel cavalry raid at Dumfries in which 300 prisoners were taken. The same evening, in response to marching orders, "dit we leave Upton hill in good spirit." Augustus Hesse describes the march to Arandale and the position of the troops for battle. When it was learned that their was no chance for a fight, "I took a tea-bag and made me a cup of hot tea, whereby I remember Mrs. Weston." They learned from the inhabitants that the rebels had torn up the track, taken black people employed by the railroad, and were marching toward Centreville. Hesse's battery returned to Upton Hill.