Camp of the 5^th Vt Vet Vols

January 26^th 1865

 

Dear Parents

                        Tis with the greatest of plesher that I seat my self to pen you afew lines to let you no that I still live and hope thes few lines will find you the same Well I dont no hardley what to wright but must say somthing to pass of the dull hours of camp life for it has ben so lonsome for the last week that it was hard for me to stay in camp for there aint nothing going on hear for a felow to pass the time with So you see it is some lonsome

 

Well it has ben some time sence I have had aletter from you or eney one elce up there Well I supose that James R. M^cGibbon told all of the news when he got home so it is all right at presant you se that I haint got home yet nor signes of it either so dont look for me for I shant come this winter i think so eney way So jest let me no how James did carey sail up there if he got drunk or not if he got maried or not and how he used the old folks and if he give them eney money or not and if he dident try to get some money from you for he said he should hafto get some money some where up there and let me no when he started to come back Well how air all of the folks up there at presant do they feel bad about the war All that I can say is that I hope some of them old hard heads will hafto come this last call shure as hell for it is jest what they had oughto 

 

I hav done long bfore this lait day in this damed war Every time that I think of it it is shure to make my temper get hot to clear to the brim and I cant hardley hold my self to gether oh how I should likto jest get hold of some of them Goshen Heathans they air so so alfierd mean all that I can say is that I hope this time of strife and murder will some day close so we poor dogs can come home and stur up some of them couerdley pupeys

 

Well the papers seam to think that this war is nearley closed God grant that it is so to be shure Every thing looks favorbel for we air drawing them into a closter spot every day and every night to Our armeys haint none what a deafeat is sence last may it is victory after victory every Rebbel strong hold is blockaded ther armeys air geting demorlised and hungrey and raged they air having trubel in ther Congras they air geting down on ther Presadent Jeferson Davis they say he is trying to r[?] them and ther caws and they hav no hopes of Briton and ther big coten planters jest beginto sea the foley of ther caws ther pockets air geting low and ther hartes air to sence Shermans march through Gorgia the horows of war has ben opend to fair and plain to them and the fall of Fort Fisher which laies Wilmington to the mersey of our troops and stopes all blockaded runers to eney of ther portes you see that every litel thing helps to destress them and discurage them to and my opinion is  that this caws lookes rather hard to them and will still harder soon and I think bfore another year at this time will see them felows all under our control and once get them there and we will jest keep them there Well this is enough of this

 

            Well how comes on the bounty of Goshen or Brandon do you have eney hopes of geting eather of them and has S. Partlow paid you yet or not I want you should finesh paying for the plase if you get eather of them town bountys and do jest what you air aminto with the rest of the money for there is no signs of our ever geting paid of hear and if you have eney use for that money use it I dont care if you use it all if it will do you eney good Well do you ever see C. H. Forbes of Brandon if so jest give him my regards Well Nathanel Bucklin started for home this morning you may see him before he comes back hear Well do you ever hear from Gilmon Elexander or does Sam Partlow eather if you no where he is be shure and let me no in your next for it has ben along time sence I have heared from him

 

Well what air you doing this winter do you make them horses earn ther living and where is Gorge this winter and do the boys learn fast and hoo teaches ther school this winter and how air all of the folks up there do harvey and his wife live to gether this winter Where air don and his wife have they got eney mor chrilden has Harvey got eney yet if he haint tell him it is time he had or his wife at least for she always looked to me that she would be a good mother 

 

But mabey she aint cant tell could if she was mine thoe Morancey Johnson exspects to come home every day he has put in a leave but there aint nothing sirten of it going through John Wunder has put one in to dont say nothing to his woman about it thoe for he wants to suprise her Well Jain still lives on the streat dont she has her chrilden ben put out yet and how does she get aliving sence John got killed has she got don fealing bad yet Well we air having some bad wether hear for the last 5 or 6 days till to day and it has cleared of cold as the old harey and I have goto go out onto the Picket line twice to day to care out the diner and supr and brakfast Jest give my love to all of the folks up there Well Royal Churches has jest com in to see me he lookes helthy and tuff also to he sends his love to all jest say to his folks that he is well and would likto have them wright to him Also I have seen Sidney Capen to he looks first rate to he has jest got to his Company for deuty he is deth on Goshen as well as I am He sayes that they have used him mean as hell to Well there is some fireing on picket to day the Rebels have got some cross for the last 3, 4 dayes or less but we can shute jest as fast as they can if they was to shoot for six years or more or less I think that there will be some tall fighting hear soon and we shall jest give them hell to if they air fools enough to pitch in to ous for we air jest geting blud thirstey This cold weather makes ous cross and we right some times to / jest comence hear now for the other wount hold it all there has ben some hard burning heard down on the river for 3 or 4 dayes Was Rebbels rames came down to City Point the other to fight but they got some took in for they lost one sank and one took by our men or boats jest as you think best

 

So no more this time love

 

To All be shure and wright soon

John W Pitridge

To Jarvis M Phelps /

 

 

John W Pitridge

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