Stafford Cort house

 

Dc 22^d 1862

 

Dear Father Mother Sisters and Brothers haveing a few spare moments before going to bed i thought i would write and let you know that we are alive and well Sam is writing to levi and i have juste wrote to Pheebe so i thought i would write to you we have neither of us heard from you since we left Chantiley we started from that place the 10^th and marched 8 days in succession. we marched from Chantiley to within 2½ miles of Fredricks Burg in seven days a distance of 60 miles the eighth day we marched / back to where we now are a distance of 12 or 15 miles from FredricksBurg we have been here 2 days but how long we shall stay we do not know we may stay some time and may not stay one day. The march we had was a very hard one some days we only had 3 hard crackers a day the roads were so bad the mud was shoe deep. In some places it was up to your knees you have no idea of it nor never will untill you try it it is very stickey just like putty the horses and mules droped down dead all a long the road the horses on the artilery did not have any thing to eat for 48 hours and the men was so horse / holering to their horses they could not speak a loud word i felt sorry for them poor fellows when i past them stuck fast in the mud there they was as tight as they could be we have been payed off and i have sent my money home by Howes the Great Neadle man he has gon home to Brigeport now to deliver the money to the poor soldiers wives and to do some business for the officers we ar all in good spirets and in good health we are as tough and fat as hogs and as dirty as you pleas we have as fine a General as you ever saw he is some thing such a looking man as James Bowers / the patent roof man in danbury he is just about the size of him and has very long sandy whiskers the same as his he has a very smiling countinance every day alike he takes delight in pleasing the poor soldier he never shoes him self unless the boys gives him three chears as loud as any Reg can give i bet you the boys all like him and he likes the boys. While we are lying in camp we all ways have enough to eat but on a march is the time we get scanted for they get stuck in the mud some times and it takes two or three days then we cannot get it so we grin and bare it but we have not had bad usage yet we can stand a good deal i can live on one hard tack if they will only kill them devils that are at the head of the Reb army i tell you when they fire on ower men that are on the field picking up the dead and wounded it is more than a man can stand the boys ar rather down because Burnside did not let them take the bateries let it cost what it would they are all willing to go a head and end the war if they will give them men to lead them there is men enough here and round here to do some thing you would think so if you was here and sea them there is near half a milion of men within 15 miles of Fredricks Burg the men in the advance are so close they can talk to each other acrost the river they are about 3 miles from the main body of the Reb army 

 

tell the folks to keep up good corage and all will be well i have to write one or two letters to night so i shall have to close for it is getting late give my love to all inquiring friends Sam is writing to levi and i have got to help him out he has just asked me how to make a q so you sea he is learning very fast.

           

my love to all

write as often as you can and i will do the same

           

Good By

From your Sone

WA Clark

 

we received those papers and was very glad of them

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