July 21, 1863 pg 3

a desperate and frightened rebel forgot
to take aim when he fired, and one
ball flying off at random, had the
impudence to hit my brother Wash in
the left leg just above the knee. He
has now been at home a week and is
getting along nicely. I don't blame the
rebel because he did'nt mean to hit
any one -- he must have known a
mans heart is'nt situated in the
lower extremities and -- what is the
use of hitting at all, if you don't hit
the heart? You may interpret that
as refering to the practice with a certain
bow and arrow, -- I am not quite so
savage as to mean it literally. Indeed
I shall never cease to be thankful
that the ball was'nt fired by a steady