Excuse the pencil

 

Headquarters 17^th Reg Mich Inft Vol

Sandy Hook near Harpers Ferry        

Oct 19^th 1862

 

Dear Mother and Grandmother

            I promised to write you when I wrote Mary's letter and am ready and about to fulfill it. I got Pa's photograph and if there any more of photographs of the rest of the family send me some If I can get a chance to get a picture taken I will & send it home. I guess you would hardly know me I look so rough and my whiskers have grown so. They are as much as a foot long or less. If a man happens to go along here with a white shirt on everybody turns and looks as though it was Lincoln or M^cClellan. I have seen Lincoln M^cClellan & Burnside & Wilcox together and Burnside was the best looking of them all. Burnside rode over to our camp yesterday while we were drilling and came up in front of our regiment and gave the men some instructions about drilling and said "We all know that you can fight for you have proved it at South Mountain & Antietam and now all you want to learn, is to drill well and you will be one of the best regiments in the Army" He is one of the most pleasant looking men I ever saw and is as brave as he is good looking. But M^cClellan is the Idol of all the soldiers but some of the officers are always growling about him as they do all over the country. Of course he has made blunders And what man or General has not. I dont think there is another General that placed in M^cClellan's position could have brought himself out better or safer If they could have done it as well as he did. There is this much about it. If he is not popular with the citizens he is at least popular with the soldiers and they will fight better under him than they will under anybody else. Have they commenced to draft in Monroe yet? I hope they will draft some of those kid gloved fellows & cowards and send them down here. I would like to see them here tonight while it is cold & the wind blows fearfully.

 

            I have got a good place to sleep in the Headquarters tent with the acting Adjutant. We have got straw and blankets & overcoats and are very comfortable. But the privates must sleep in little open tents which are only made to keep the rain off and they wont do that unless the rain comes down straight as both ends are open. Each man carries his tent with his overcoat & blanket. Excuse this short letter and answer as soon as you can. Give my love to the rest of the family and to all my friends and dont forget

                                                                                   

Your Son

James

 

[overleaf]

 

Jas. I. Christiancy

Oct 19/62

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