Camp of The Sec. R.I. Reg^t

Near Stafford Court House Va

Nov^r 28. 1862

                       

Dear Sister.

                                                Your letter received several days since still remains unanswered so I will try and see if I can write a few lines so you may know I still remain in the land of the living

 

            I should have written as soon as I got your letter but the mittens had not then arrived and I thought it would be better to wait a while. Sunday afternoon we got a mail and in it came my mittens, and I was glad to get them you may believe. they were plenty big enough and will allow of considerable shrinking and still be large enough. I have not yet had occasion to use them any the weather not being so cold but what I could get along without them, but had I been on guard duty any of these evenings since then they would have come in play. I dont know how or in what way I can pay you for them as you would probably refuse Green Backs in payment but if "thank yous" / are in circulation and are taken in payment in your neighborhood I will give you a thousand. I suppose they cost you about half a dollar didnt they?

 

            Well I suppose "Thanksgiving" is over once more in old Mass. but I'll bet there is still enough of the remains still left over to make a soldier a feast. I can almost see the back bone of a rooster or two set on the table today for dinner and perhaps a good sized piece of plum pudding to go with it. It looks pretty good I tell you to look at it even if it is a long ways to it. Last year the State of R.I. sent us turkeys, pigs, and pies, all cooked ready to eat, and these taken with our soft bread and what we could buy of the pedlers made as good a meal as we could ask for. this year it was slightly different the State furnished us with nothing. there was no no pedlers to buy of and even if there had been we had no money to buy with, so our feast was made up of hard crackers, salt junk, fresh meat, and—whiskey. this last the men got two nippers of, as Ben Bates says, and some of them got to feeling a little high, but they did not get enough to do any mischief

 

We have taken a kind of an excursion since my / last letter down Acquia Creek which was quite a pleasant trip for us. We went to the mouth of the Creek and anchored or tied up alongside the remains of the wharf that was destroyed last summer. we lay here till morning through a quite a storm and then in trying to get around to the place where we were to take on board our load got carried away out into the Potomac. all that we could do was to run the boat to the shore and wait for the wind to go down which it did in the evening. We then poled it to a steamer anchored in the harbor loaded with oats, and took on board nine hundred bushels. the next morning about nine oclock we started back up stream and got into camp about the middle of the afternoon. When we went on board Tuesday afternoon the captain of the boat remarked to the Quartermaster who went with us that all his winters stock of meat had been stolen the night before by a company detailed on the same business as ourselves. O! Well, said Quartermaster Tait, you need not stand in any fear of these men, they will not steal anything whatever you may leave before them. The next morning all the rest of the captains provisions / had shared the fate of the meat the night before. he had a whole barrel of small butter crackers about two bushels of potatoes and turnips, a lot of excellent cabbages, and onions, flour, and other little things all of which were taken, but taking all these things wasnt half so bad as something the boys did in the morning. when they got up they wanted to cook their potatoes, but there was no way of doing it at hand. At last some one a little more brazen than the rest went and asked the Captain himself if he couldnt let them have a kettle or something to cook their breakfast in, and darned if the fool didnt let them have one. thats what I call having it rubbed in. When we went alongside the steamer after our grain it wasnt five minutes before it was boarded and two hams had been transferred to our boat, but this captain was too smart in a very short time he missed his meat and immediately had our boat searched and the meat found. This case of stealing is only one of the many that has happened on our marches. let the men have the chance to take things and it will not go long unimproved. I dont know what kind of times there will be after the war, but then we can guess. I saw two of my old Hospital patients this morning Halter and Robinson of New Jersey. L. C. Cook. /

 

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I got another letter from Ans. the other day and one from Abby

Ans. has got to be my greatest correspondent

 

Nov 29^th The Paymaster has come and will commence paying off the Brigade this afternoon.

 

[Tuesday, November 19, 1861.]

X It has been cloudy and misty all day though it has not rained a great deal_x We have lain in camp all day and had a good rest. the thirty seventh changed its camp today into the woods close by where they will be a little closer to wood. the ground is pretty low here and in the lowest spots the water begins to stand. Co I is lucky for once, as it has got the highest ground in the brigade_x hard crackers are again hard to get. a good many of the men have not a mouthful to eat and they dont know where to get any more I was offered twenty five cents for five fried cakes that I cooked for my supper.

 

[Wednesday, November 20, 1861.]

I made a mistake the other day in making an entry, for today see the twenty second, and vice versa_x It has not rained any to day and I think it a wonder. It has been quite pleasant and warm Last night after dark I had to go on guard at Gen Newtons headquarters, though it was not my turn for guard duty. the Col. had two men of each co taken, and those to be good men too, so that was the reason that I am on before my turn. By going on I got clear of going out with the company on picket. We are to be on guard again tonight, though its pretty easy, two hours on, and ten off_x

 

[Thursday, November 21, 1861.]

Rain, Rain, Rain, it seems as if its always going to rain. the ground is full of water and begins to soak in under the tents. if it wasnt for our rubber blankets we should have wet beds many a night_x Starvation begins to look us in the face, or rather did this morning. I did not get up till nine oclock today as there was no reveille, then drank a cup of coffee and ate one cracker, then we all took rebels method of keeping up life, eating parched corn. at noon rations came to Cochranes Brigade and we got a half days rations of them to night our teams have come up with four days rations so now we can go it again A letter today from Sally but no mittens that were sent before the letter_x

 

[Friday, November 22, 1861.]

Another rainy day. it seems as if it never was going to clear away again. In the fore noon it looked as if it might break away and be fair. I washed my shirt, handkerchief, and haversack bag and by that time it set in raining again, and kept on by showers all day, and through the night. The famine in camp is still in full blast. this morning we had three crackers apiece issued to us and to night we had half a pint of desseccated soup apiece. I cleaned out all that I had left in my haversack to night and now I am as destitute as any of the rest, though I have a little coffee and sugar left_x

 

[Saturday, November 23, 1861.]

It has been rather cold and windy today, though fair_x I did not get relieved from guard yesterday on account of the regiment going out on picket. we got off about noon today_x My mittens have come through and got to me at last they look as if they would be of some service in these cold days and nights that are coming The camp has been slightly changed today or rather our positions upon it. the company's lines of tents now all front upon their own streets and they look considerably better for the change_x

 

[Sunday, November 24, 1861.]

Last night was the coldest we have had this fall. we had fires all night and some of the men had to crawl out of their tents to warm up. Parkhurst and I stuck it out till morning though it was a little coolish. Covey has left our coop and gone into Baileys tent. we hadnt room for all three of us, so he left us to ourselves he is the shortest man in the Co, and Bailey the tallest, six feet seven inches in height Col. Wheaton is acting Brig Gen again. he inspected us this afternoon accompanied by Devens aids. he looked as slick as a pin The 36 N.Y. have moved into the woods_x

 

[Monday, November 25, 1861.]

Another cold night and very white frost. It looks this forenoon as if it was going to cloud up_x This afternoon about half past two we got orders to pack up (Co. I alone) we left our tents guns and so on and started off towards Acquia Creek with four days rations in our haversacks. when we got to the creek there was two canal boats waiting for one of which we went aboard of and another co from the thirty seventh took the other these boats we poled down the creek to the Potomac to take on board a load of Quartermasters stores. we got down in about four hours then went to bed

 

[Tuesday, November 26, 1861.]

It rained all night and a little while this morning It has been cold and windy all day_x

Towards noon the men were all got on board the boat, to pole her over to the place to land. a number of poles were soon lost overboard and at last the best one broke in two, so the boat became unmanageable. we drifted out a short distance into the Potomac, and all we could do was to run her to the nearest shore We shall have to be towed away or else wait till the wind goes down before we can get back. The boys all like the fun first rate but if our grub gets short they will sing a different tune_x Covey and I have been into the old rebel rifle pits just now_x

 

[Wednesday, November 27, 1861.]

Thanksgiving day at home with plenty of chickens plum pudding, pies, and everything else that is good, for my dinner I have a piece of salt junk, fresh meat, fried pork, and hard bread. The wind went down last evening and we made out to push the boat off from shore and get it to the place to load up. we put on nine hundred bushels of oats and then went to sleep. this morning we took on a lot of knapsacks belonging to the 37 Mass. and put back up the Creek. we got into camp about three oclock, having been gone forty eight hours and had a pretty good time_x

 

[Thursday, November 28, 1861.]

It has been fair and quite pleasant today, but tonight it looks as if it might cloud up and rain tomorrow_x We drilled an hour and a half this afternoon or rather we went out into the field with our guns and equipments and stood in one spot most all the time while the Lieut. was talking to us about our disorderly conduct towards the noncommissioned officers and many other things. He has preferred charges against one of the men for insulting the orderly sergeant while we were on the boat the other day. quite a number of our men have been courtmartialed today_x

 

[Friday, November 29, 1861.]

Good pleasant weather to day but it looks as if it might rain tomorrow the same as last night_x Today is Saturday the sluts day for washing. I have washed my shirt, drawers, towel and so on and dried them. the flats did not get hot enough so I packed them away in my knapsack without ironing. it is seldom the flats do get hot enough to use The paymaster made his appearance today. he came riding into camp on an old hay frame drawn by four mules. there was some cheering no mistake. when he passed, he looked around to us, and patted his trunk with his hand and laughed and thats all he said. he commenced paying off this afternoon_x

 

[Saturday, November 30, 1861.]

It has been a fair day, but cloudy this evening I rather think it will make out to rain tomorrow, as we have got to go out on telegraph guard on the Alexandria and Fredericksburg line. All our regiment that are not on other duty have got to go and five hundred men out of the thirty seventh Mass. the Paymaster has paid off all but two regiments in the Brigade, ours and the 36^th N.Y. I dont know how he will manage to pay us, as we are to go out in the morning at ten oclock and are to stay three days. We have had beans for dinner today. they went pretty good

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