Letter from Rufus Dawes to Mary Dawes, July 5, 1865

In the Trenches before Petersburg

July 5^th, 1864

We have entered into a treaty of peace with the ‘Johnnies’ and men on both sides stand up in fearless confidence in each other’s good faith.  To the right of us Burnside’s negroes occupy the trenches.  Master and slave meet on equal terms and the hostility is implacable.  They fire night and day on both sides.  

A lady came up to our front line this morning.  About a thousand rebels got up on their works to stare at her, and at least two thousand of our men.  The quiet is very pleasant, and I hope that the continual whizzing of bullets will not again be heard.