Joseph Waln Wistar letter dated May 26, 1863

              May 26th 1863

Dear Lil[l]y,

I have received your letters quite regularly of late, but have been mostly directing any answers to Ma. I dont [sic] know why. Major Keenan's body [Major Peter Keenan (1834-1863)] was discovered a few days since by the Dr [doctor] who embalms the dead, and was disintering some one when the major[']s body was exposed. He knew it and brought it over the river and sent us word. Capt Wilson [Captain Samuel Wilson] has taken it on to New York. We are very certain now that Arrowsmith [Captain Charles Arrowsmith (d. 1863)] and Haddock [Lieutenant J. Hazelton Haddock (1841-1863)] have shared the same fate. Though they were in all human probability uninjured when they went down with their horses, yet when the rebel infantry came on again, maddened by their check recd [received] from us, they did not incomber [sic] themselves with prisoners. We did the same[.]