William Rodgers to Sarah Rodgers, 15 June 1863
Monday 15th June 1863
            Fairfax Simonary
Hospitle
                        My dear wife I received your letter of the 3rd June I as very glad to hear from you I wrote to you immediatly after I received it I stated in it that we ware then under marching orders with 3 days provision cooked far in advance indicating another battel for a number of days thy have been some fiting here with the rebels but no very severe engagements it has been appehended here that the rebs would cross the rappahanack and either actact us or try to make their way around us and invade Maryland and pennsylvania This moovement of the rebels has been feared very much/every day last week all the roudes here has been continually fild both nite and day with the Army of the potomack marching ching of to concentr center on some place unknowen to us for to have another battle on yesterday morning which was sundy we received orders very airely to brake up our camp and pack all of our clothing to march immedially every thing was pwold down and every thing packed tidy for a move and many things that we could not take along was all throwed on one pile and was burnt the sick and wounded and all those that was not stout enough to march was ordred to be moved to the hospitels in Alexandria and Washington Citty I had had a little rheumatism in my write nea for 2 or 3 days before this order came I on yesterday morning when the sick was leaving I reported my self to the doctor and limped a little and told him that I had the rhumatism in my nea and I thought that I would not be able to stand the march to go with the company he then told me to go with the sick and those that ware not then able to stand the march to go to the hospitels we then got in the cars and came by rail rode to the potomac river Then we ware put in steam boats and landed at Alexander seven/miles from washington City they ware about five thousand came we landed here on last evening and sent to the diferant hospitels in this place and washington Citty I am now in the fairfax hospitle situated 2 miles from Alexander and about 4 miles from Washington Citty this hospitel is situated in one of the pleasantest placies I have ever sean it is at the fairfax Cimery Cimnary thy are so many pretty shade treas and nice walks all around it and all the bed things are good and clean the beds are nice and good last nite was the first nite that I had slept of the ground and with my clothes of for at least the last eight months I slept nice and good last nite my leg pains me a little/but not any more then it did when I was at home the room I sleap in here is two hundred and fifty feet long with about one hundred single beds in it how long I may be here I do not know but I will stay here as long as I can intill my nea gets entirely well our living appears to be very good here to what it was in the reagement dear Musy I am as stout and as well as I have been at any time since I left home with the exception of a little pain in my nea with the reumatism whether our regement is fiting yet or not I do not yet know but will hear from them shortly I am now about seventy miles from them and I will not be/in this battle should thy be one as we apprehend that thy will us soldiers was all in good spirits expecting to be discharged at the end of nine months and sent home we now think that this part of it has been plaid out and that we will be held for three years but we do not know certainly yet how it may be dear Musy on last Friday I wrote to Oliver and Mary Thompson and requested hir to write to me as scoon as thy would receive it this letter I directed to Oliver Thompson in your care to Brookville you will likly get it you can send it to them and I wish you to tell them how to direct a letter to me at this place so that I will get it/
dear Musy I hope that this letter will find you engoying good health and spirits do not be uneasy about me I am getting along gist now better then I have been since I left home dear Mussy give my love to all my friends and in perticular I send my love to you my dear wife write to me as scoon as you receive this letter and let me know how you are gitting a long I am at all times very ancious to hear from you now my dear Musy I send you 25 sweet kises and bid you good by for the present I will write to you shortly again
This from your Affectinate husband
WRodgers to S. Rodgers/
 
when you write to me direct your letter to
Wm Rodgers
Fairfax Siminary
Hospitle_Barack. F_
near Alexandria
            Virginia
795
DATABASE CONTENT
(795)DL0096.0657Letters1863-06-15

Letter from Private William Rodgers, 148th Pennsylvania Infantry, Convalescent Camp, Virginia, October 11, 1863, to his wife Sarah Rodgers, Brookville, Pennsylvania


Tags: Anxiety, Battle of Gettysburg, Camp/Lodging, Discharge/Mustering Out, Food, Hospitals, Illnesses, Injuries, Marching, Nature, Ships/Boats

People - Records: 2

  • (103) [writer] ~ Rodgers, William
  • (104) [recipient] ~ Rodgers, Sarah

Places - Records: 2

  • (53) [origination] ~ Alexandria, Virginia
  • (117) [destination] ~ Brookville, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania

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SOURCES

William Rodgers to Sarah Rodgers, 15 June 1863, DL0096.065, Nau Collection.