M. Barracks Wash. Dec. 22

 

Sis

            I received mothers letter on last thursday and yours yesterday morning. I will try to answer both at once. It is now about nine Oclock in the morning and I will have only about an hour untill I have to fall out to drill. this morning we had our firs drill with the musket. we where only out about a half an hour. I am now writeing and listning to the best band I ever heard and I suppose the bes one you ever heard, it is composed of about thirty men, and there is nothing but it can play. It plays about three quarters of an hour every morning on parrade. Last saturday I received $30 thirty dollars of my bounty which I sent off in a letter, a ten and twenty dollar bills green backs to papa. there is $15 comeing to me yet which makes $45 there is $5 dollars cept from us to pay expences of geting it /

 

I did not get to church yesterday because I was the only one wanted to go to the Presbyterian church and the other squad was gone to the catholic church about a half an hour before. you can go to the Catholic or Presbyterian which ever you like. We have no Chaplin in the barracks but they may have one in the hospital but I am not certain. We have one Colonel, Harris one major, sergeant major, one Capt. three Lieuts and about ten or twelve noncommitioned officers one sergeant who helped to build the warehouse, from Lancaster named Murphy he says he knowes papa and Will. Our drill sergeant Hamilton, I guess is the best drill master in the M.C. It is now about twelve O'clock, I had to leave the room for inspection we have inspection of rooms every morning. I have just received a letter from Hary. It is about an hour untill dinner. we have breakfast at eight dinner at one and supper at four. For breakfast we have boiled ham and potatoes bread and coffee twice a week and for the remainder of the week we have boiled meet instead of ham and potatoes, for dinner we have ham and bean soop twice a week and for the remainder of the week we have meet and soop, for supper we have tea and bread. You wanted to know if I will continue to like my new home. If I do not continue to like it I do not see why, because inside of three weeks I will get on liberty every other day and not any more exersise than will digest your my rashion about the time you have seen every thing in one place you are moved to another and you sleep in between two fires on a straw bed. you can have as much baggage as you can put in about a two bushel bag and a knapsack and what is called a dirty bag to cary your cleaning kit and beside all I did not rush into this thing as quick as you may think. I did not think about it for a day or week but for more than a month had I thought about enlisting in the U.S.M.C. ever since I saw the advertisment in the ledger, and I had allways had an idea of joining the army which I guess you all know and since I did get in here, I do not think I could of got in to a place in the army where it would suit me better than here, for there is no expoiseure no heavey marches no heavy duty of any kind, there is a library here and a prety good one to being over 200 vol. it is open twice a week and there is another library in town belonging to the soldiers, but I have not seen it yet so I do not know what kind of a one it is so if you want you can be laying up on your bunk half of your time reading any book you want, with out costing you a cent. There is of course a great deal of temtation here, but I think as little as any other part of the service because a man is not allowed to get drunk if he does and any of the officers see him they put him in the cage in double irons so you nead not take a drop if you do not want if you want to copy after the worst of them and become a blaggard why it is your own fault they can not stop you from doing anything. They cannot stop you from going to church nor from reading your bible nor eaven praying you can if you have a mind to you can treat them well. talk with them and some of them you can listen to very well because a great many of them have been in the V. Service in our army, and some are deserters from the rebels and there tailes are very interesting, but of course they put a great deal to the story some times. I am certain I can stand the cervice here better four years than I could in the V's. nine months. I have had my dinner of bean soop and ham and now I have to get redy for drill, about three quarters of an hour and then we will have nothing to do untill morning. we drill three times a day about three quarters or an hour once before breakfast at ten and at half pas two. I have just come in from drilling with the muster about an hour. Mother wanted to know if one of them cases you made for Jack would be of any use to me I do not think they would be worth the trouble of making because when I get out I will buy a carpet bag to lock up any thing I may want. I do not see any use of sending me a box for I can get /

                     

Dec 22/62

thing I want here, the only use a box would be to me, would is to have the box to keep some things in. You want to know if I wanted any paper the only thing I want in the writeing line is stamps I got out in Phil^a one afternoon and got a writeing case to hold paper, ink, pen, envelops, thread and every thing of the kind for a dollar and a quarter and I have it full of every thing it will hold. Hary told me to write to him but when I write to you I entered it for all so you can send it to him, for I have only the one thing to write. You nead not trouble your self about me for I am fixted here first rate, and like it better here than in Phil^a. I guess now I will have to shut down now for I am spun out, and will still remain your affectionate brother

                                                                                   

Charlie

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