Feb 20th 1863                                                                                                     

Martindale Barracks                                                                                                     

Washington D C

                                                                                                   

Dear Father Mother Sisters & Brothers

I now take this opportunity to pencell a few lines to you your letter of the 15^th with paper envelop and 10 cts is duly received and i am glad you are all in sutch good health and am happy to say i am no worse. We have had quite a change in things here for the past week one of ower Doctors that belonged here was on a visit to Philadelphia the other day and while there he was run over by the cars and killed and the other / Doctor has been sent away so we have a new one he told me this morning to come to the hospital and if i was no better he would give me a high low for a short time or something better so i think i shall get a chance to go home this spring there is not mutch nuse here at present the fire bell has just struck the alarm for the 3^d District the hospital that i am in is a few rods from the company so you can Direct my letters the same as ever as i have no nuse i will close my love to all i remain as ever Your loveing Sone & Brother W^m A Clark /

           

The weather has been cold for the pas two days but it is warm today and soon the spring will be upon us in all its beauty. the nuse from the armie is good there promises to be a very active campaign this cumming season we have a large number of deserters from the Reb armie here in this citty they came here from the front and had no officer with them they seam to be glad to get here and further more they say that the Rebs have 4 lines of pickets to keep the men from deserting there was 50 / from one of the North Carolina Reg deserted in one night they wer on the out side line they all swam the Rapidan River and came into ower lines a large number have enlisted into the Invalid Corps for they had no work here so they sayed they would enlist if they did not have to go out to get taken by Rebs again they report every thing high and very scarce.

 

leaveing you all in the care of God i will close

           

Good by for this time

WAClark

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