I will improve a few moments in writing a few lines to you. It is rather lonesome here today. There were twenty-five boys of the regiment left here yesterday so there are only about forty men here now. Thirty of them belong to the Sixth. Those that went away yesterday are going down to Dixie to join their regiments. Most of them felt pretty (good) / about leaving.
There are four here that were taken prisoners at Bull Run. We are expecting about 100 recruits every day. We heard there were some coming from Winona. It is going to take a long time to fill up the regiment unless there are more men in other parts of the state than there are here for there are so many recruiting around here that they have got them pretty well thinned off. I expect to have been home before now when I wrote to Williams. The man whose company I enlisted in was going to send me down that way recruiting but the Lieutenant who has command here has put me in Orderly Sergeant of the Sixth Regt. Min. Volunteers.
He says that I cannot be spared here now but I think that I shall be home before the Fourth (of July) if nothing happens. There are some first rate boys here and some hateful ones as I ever saw but they have to do about as I say; if they don't I will have them stand guard about three days at a time. That will fetch them round about right.
How does Will get along farming? The grain does not look any better here than it did when I left. It has been very dry here until within a few days. There has been plenty of rain (Lately). As it is getting about time to drill I shall have to stop writing.
We have drill two hours in a day. Give best respect to all the folks and tell them I should like to see some of them up here.
Yours in haste
E.S. Metcalf
Orderly Sergeant
Sixth Regt. Minn. Vols.
