Letter: Lawrence O'Bryan Branch to Nancy Haywood Blount Branch, September 16, 1862

              Bolum Hights Mar Harper Ferry
16th Sept. 1862
I left my baggage wagon on the other side of the Rappahannock on the 24th of August- since then I have not seen them. The army has been between me and them most of the time. I am just sending a courier to Winchester for them, and avail myself of the opportunity to have a letter mailed to you. The orders of the day, and of the night is hard marching and hard fighting. We march to within 6 miles of the Pennsylvania line- when on [?][?] to the left, came here and captured about 12,000 of the enemy with immense quantities of artillery, and [?] [?]. They on the [??and ?] [best?] provided soldiers, I am [expected?] to see they seem to be delighted at being made prisoners - There is not a man amongst who is not [dulled?] than I am, but they [?] fight like our men.
I spent the whole of the night before last in climbing with two Brigades, on almost perpendicular mountains, with sides of loose rocks, skirmishing with the enemy, by [?] o'clock in the morning I had just got my Brigade in a good position most in the rear of the enemy's fortifications and close to them, we whipped them with artillery and our loss was small- yesterday and