Augustus McFarlane to William C. Combs

Dear William,

I address you a few lines to let you know that I am still alive hoping these lines will find you in good health. I will give the history of the war news in the north west part of this state. We was called on about the first of September to go to Logan County to fight the Yankees and we went and found them at Chapmansville and they whipt our men. The militia run and would not fight as we would have whipt them very easy. My company did not arrive at the battle ground until the militia give way. they killed two of our men and wounded our Colonel. We retreated back to Logan C.H. and I took my company and went back next morning to fight them, but they did not come on as expected, but left and went back to the Ohio and has not come back to Logan since. We stayed in Logan about six weeks and was called back to Grundyand we had to stay on the frontier for some time. We are how at home but expect to be called to Kentucky every day as the northerners are coming into Kentucky with tremendous force. The South drove them back but they are a coming again. Their strength is about 275 thousand. Floyd's army has been ordered to Kentucky. Two of my Volunteers went to Kentucky one got killed and the other wounded. Jacob Hagy was killed George Hagy badly wounded. We will have hard times in the country. Give my compliments to Capt Kindrick and the rest of the company and tell them I know how they suffer for I have tryed it myself. Respectfully yours,
Augustus McFarlane

William C. Combes

I forgot to say to you that our men at Chapmansville killed 42 of the Yankees and wounded 17. The Union men & Secession men in Kentucky are robing one another at a rapate rate, some of the Buchananites are stealing from Kentucky & Vance drove over in to Russell on yesterday some 30 or 40 head of cattel most of them was oxen. There was a battle fought below Piketon a few weeks ago [?] killed 250 and we lost a few. There is at this time at Bollen Green they say about 2 hundred thousand and 75 thousand coming up from Louisa to Piketon. We will all have to go. The people in this country will not fight they are too cowardly. If we doan't do better the Yankees will take this country.

A McFarlane.

Wm C Combes