Sherburne Barricks

Carroll Hill     Washington DC

May 1^st 1864                                                                                                               

                                   

Dear Father Mother Sisters & Brothers

I now sit my selfe down to write a letter to Pheebe and not forgetting you one and all i will try and send a few lines to interest you for a few moments as to Day is the Birth Day of your Humble Servent i am thinking it is my duty to selebrate it by writing to you I have just returned from the Baltimore & Ohio R.R. Depot where we have men on duty and i / carry their rations to them by the help of one & some times two men it is near half a mild from where the Barricks are and the Capitol is just half way so we start and get to the Capitol then set down and view the building and also the men at work in the yard and on the dome or top of the Capitol whitch is nearly done this season i think will finish the dome. While on my return from the Depot i saw the 2^d Ohio Cavelry going to the front also a Reg of darkies from Mass. i believe yesterday there was two or more Regts went / to the front the city is full of soldiers on their way to the front the Armie of the Potomac is getting very large i think for there has been a very large force sent their to General Grant this last month past.The weather is very nise and everything nearly is in bloom i saw a lady the other day with a bunch of radishes and some very nise Pie Plant that she got in market the market is filling very fast with all sorts of provision sutch as lettic greans of all sorts radishes pie plant and soon there will be string beans & pears. Apels are very plenty but pretty high from $4. to $8. pr barrell Butter fell 20^cts / on a pound in one day and if it comes in as fast as it has done for 2 weeks it will get down where we can reach it very handy and another thing is there is a likelyhood of the soldiers getting from 3 to 5 dollars a month more wages they are at work for it in the senate and soon it will pass i think to give us from the first of January or from the first of May $16. or 18 Dollars in the place of 13 that we now get as it is late in the after noon i will close by stating that my health is about the same as when i was at home hoping these few lines will find you all in the best of health and spirits i remain as ever your loveing Sone and Brother

William A Clark

                       

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