It is rather lonesome here to day we are waiting for them to lay a pontoon brigge for us to cross on This is quite a small place but an important one and they have left it without a strugle And very strong works They run their gunboat up the river as far as they could and sunk it above the bridge whitch they burned I understand that they are not far from here only a few miles And the last we heard from Sherman

He was not very far off from us and comeing along at his leasure as usual Gen Scofield [i.e., General John M. Schofield] sent scouts from Wilmington while we was there to Sherman they have just returned The report is that Killpatrick [i.e., General H. Judson Kilpatrick] is in Goldsborough [sp. Goldsboro] and if such is the case they have got to leave here on a double quick it is also reported that Lee has resigned and the vice president is going to force old Jeff to take Lees place and if such is the case they are gone up for life I look for peace to be declared before my time expires but I may be disapointed in that after all but I hope not I am anchious myself to see it close

For I expect our Regt will always have to serve on the front line it always has so far Col Hays has tried hard for to get us back to Wilmington but I guess it is a falure although there is some talk of it I will close good by write soon

H E Randall