Camp Hancock near

Fredricksburgh Virginia

January 11^th 1863

My Dear Sarah I take my pen to inform you that I am well at present and hope that you and all the rest are also engoying Comfort and good health Dear Mussy I have received three letters from you since we left Cockeysville I received one letter from you which was sent to Cockeysville it was forwarded to me here I received your letter dated the 31^st Dec and I this Sunday morning Received your kind letter dated on the 3^rd January 1862 you must have made a mistake as to the year in the letter dated on the 31^st thy ware 2 postage stamps and a sheet of paper in it The one I received to day had one postage stamp invelip and a sheet of paper in it dear Mussy it is almost/imposable there to obtain postage stamps and paper here so that we can write as often as we would but I cannot excuse myself on that account I have always succeded as yet at some little defecualty in obtaining them through the faver of some friends—Dear Mussy I wrote you a letter on the day before we left Cockeysville informing you of our expected removal to the field of battle. we left Cockeysville on the 9^th and arived here on the banks of the Chickenomny on the 18^th just at the close of the battle of Fredricksburgh we did not arive in time to pertisapate in the fite They ware a great many kild in this battle the army of the Pottomac was badled cut up Thy ware at least twenty thousand brave men fell in that battle Thank god we ware not in it it is coled here Burnsides slauter pen Burnsides intended to renew the battle on Cuming day at 9 oclock in the morning and we had three days rashions/Cooked and was all prepared for the renewal of the fite when thy ware a Counsel of War held among the officers and generial Burnsides was over ruled we have been laying here ever since a watching the enemy I do not know how long we may be here thy are so many differant orders Ishued I do not now believe that Fredricksburgh will be actacted by us at present it is belived here that the place cannot be taken with the force which we have here. dear Mussy you compain and I think justly so—on account of you not receiving letters from me since we left Cockeysville but it is not my falt I wrote a letter to you on the day after we arived here and mailed it which letter you aught to have received long before this time I also wrote to you on new years day wishing you a happy new year and informing you that I was well which letter I hope you have received/before this time The wether is fine and warm here the rodes is now as dusty here as thy are generaly with you in the summer time The gloves you have nit for me I am sory that thy cannot be sent to me you cannot send them to me here so that thy would be any prospect of me getting them we cannot receive any boxes of provisions here they are not permitted to reach us Dear Mussy I cannot tell you when I will be permited to return home if I had my will I would start for home tomorough but dersant do it to get a furlo to visit home is imposable for a soldier to get here and as defecult to get a discharge god only knows now when I may be permited to return home but I live in hopes that we will yet meat in this world again Dear Mussy I am sory that I cannot send you any

SOURCES