1862

Baltimore Sept 27^th

 

Dear Father Mother Brothers and sisters as I had been excused from duty to day on account of being a little off of the hooks I thought I would write a few lines and let you know that I am in the land of the living I have been helping hedge the fort two or three days and was in the well ½ a day you do not know what well so i will try and explane the matter you sea the well where we get water to do our coocking with is about as far from the camp as from your house to the lime kill and two men from each company has to fetch a bout 100 pails of water a day that is 50 pails a piece for the two men so the Colonel sayed the men had better get to gether and dig a well so they commenced and the second day in the after noon i thought i would go and help so i went and at night we had it about 10 ft deep and 12 ft acrost that night i catched / a little cold and it made me feel stiff so i went to the doctors and he gave me some liniament for to rub on my legs and shoulders and gave me some kind of liquid to take for my cough So he sayed I had better keep a little still to day so as not to get swetty and catch any more cold and he sayed i would be all wright by to morrow. in the day time the weather is as warm here as it was up home the fourth of July but / the nights is cool and damp we have some dues that would wet the ground so that it looks as if it had rained it does not dry off from the tents untill 9 or 10 o clock. Now I will give you the some of the fun we had thursday we heard that the 23 Regiment had come to this city so the Capt sayed those that was not on duty might get ready and he would march them down to the city So the boys strapt on theyer cartrage boxes and bayonet belt grabed their gun and was in the ranks quicker than they ever was before and was off for the Baltimore & Ohio RR Deapot the distance about 6 miles we arived at the Depot about 10 oclock while there Major Brady came down there while he was there lutenent Dikeman came along and called Major to go and drink with him so the major left his horse and Sam and me hired some blacking of a boot black and Sam blacked his horses feet all nise and I braded his main so when the major / came out Sam kicked him for a quarter and another fellow kicked him for a sixpence for holding his horse so the major considered he was sold so he pulled out his pocket book and gave him a dollar to treat the party so the company got a drinck on it. then we went down to the station and found the 23 regament had not started from home but the 23 N Jersy was there also the 33 N York 120 Pensylvania and 400 or 500 convalessents from the hospittles they came from round about washington there is about 75.000 troops in and around this city and almost every train brings in more. There was 1.100 / secesh prisners went through the city of Baltimore the other day they was the ragedest dirty poores looking set of men that you or any other man or woman saw you tell any body that wants to stick up for secesh just come to this city and they will soon allter their mind I tell you the secesh around here are almost starved that is some of the leading rufs in the city. In canton it is the nastiest place you ever saw the swill milk stables and all the hog pens hen roosts slaughter houses and all the nasty stuff that is naturyly around a city is in this place it being the out skerts of the city. Just be low there is the magazine for the gunboats & the fourts there is about 200 tons of powder 

Turn over

If Sam and me can get off to morrow we will go down to the chesepeek and go onboard the gunboats to sea the guns & the salors. There is no more at present you must write very often we cannot get the chance to write that you can nor cannot get the paper nor stamps some times so you must consider the subject and you can sea that we have not the chance to write that we should like to have. Sam is well also my self i consider my selfe so

 

            Our love to all for the

            present good by

 

Direct your letters the same as before

WAClark

camp Sigel

Fort Marshal   Baltimore Md.

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