Washington D.C.

Sunday May 12^th—1861

 

Dear Laura

                        I now seize a few moments to acknowledge the receipt of your papers & thank you therefor. You must know now that my time is not my own for I have been sworn into the service of Uncle Sam & am a minute man liable at any moment to be ordered hither & yon and to perform this & that without asking any reasons why so I often have to snatch opportunities to sleep in the daytime which refreshes me more than food as you know. This excitement & novelty suits me to a hair "the spirit is always willing but the flesh is sometimes weak" I have done my own share & often that of others but it is all for the good cause. That the soldier knows no Sabbath is not true here for the Rev Woodbury gives us fine discourses & Joe Greenes Band play anthems every Sunday Morn besides instead of one half days drill & the regiment are well sup- / plied with testaments & hymn books and we have good singing. We are in fact composed of picked men & gentlemen and they treat us like gentlemen and though we have a few black sheep among us they will soon be weeded out. This city is not what I expected to see it, every thing being in an unfinished condition even to the paving of the streets which are horrible and about anckle deep with mud & filth a good place for fevers. It is prettily laid out and the public buildings make some show otherwise is a one horse concern. We have some 30,000 armed men here now & expect to make a sally out before long upon our neighbors in fact some of the boys are "spiling for a fight" and I candidly think they will get their belly's fill before they go home. I was sorry to leave home on so short notice (3 days) although I was pretty well broke into it by travelling the past 6 months. Our journey here was both rough and tough and the incidents would occupy a volume while the accidents were few and trifling. We all ran a narrow chance by getting aground during a violent gale on a sand bar in the mouth of the Potomac River we were there 3 hours & would have gone to pieces in as much time longer. Both banks of the river were lined with Secessionists but they did not molest us. We laid beside our guns all night with our equipments on & would have given them our cards before they could have sunk us. We attract more attention & have had more favors shown us than most of the foot soldiers still some of the men grumble & that you know is infectious. I hope myself to see some things straightened out before long and some of our line officers made to toe the mark as correctly as the rank & file do. This requires time in volunteer organizations of course and patient waiters are no losers. I calculated my time pretty close in leaving the West to get a job so soon in the East & South. I have been in hopes to meet Dr. E. A. here in some military capacity but I see as yet none of his Division have been ordered here. 

 

I spent two very pleasant days in Philadelphia & with Susie giving her as much of my time as I could spare. We got there in the middle of the night going without supper or sleep from Easton and the next morning being faint & hungry we were regaled with greasy meat & strong coffee which upset a great many causing them to "heave up Jonah" The same thing occurred at Perrysville with the addition of considerable hard labor transferring our Battery from the cars to a steamer which was done after dark this time we went 24 hours without food to break us in I suppose & inure us to hardship. They are now on the other tack feeding us up with the best to be had at the "Hotel National" famous for a poisoning affair once. Still we are jolly dogs and have very lively merry times occasionally. I have given you a curious medley for a letter but my wits are scattering with so much to see & hear & must refer you to the accounts in the papers which are numerious & pretty generally correct concerning our movements at Washington. We are quartered in the south wing of the Patent Office but shall go into camp tomorrow or next day on the edge of the city

 

With much love to you all I remain in some haste your affec brother

                                                                                               

W. H. Wild

Corporal Marine Artillery

Rhode Island Regiment

Washington D.C.

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