[note enclosed with letter]

 

Monday Dec. 1^st_x

                                    I guess if it this letter is as long in getting to you as I have been writing it, you will have to wait a long time for it_x

            I have been waiting for the paymaster to pay us off so I could send some of my money home in it_x We have got to go off in about an hour and a half, on a three days trip of guard duty and there is no knowing when we shall have a chance to get it so I shall put this in the mail bag without waiting any longer_x all Well

 

 

I shall send you a small postage currency                             

Camp of the Sec R.I.V.

in my next_x         

                                

Dec 8^th 1862

I hope I can write a little more regularly now                       

                       

Dear Sister.

I got a paper this morning from you I suppose.

                                   

I received your last letter Wednesday morning before I had got up. the orderly brought it to me together with one from Eva, and another from one of my old Hospital patients that got his discharge and went to his home in Penn. The postage stamps are coming in with a rush, eight came to me in your letter, five in Eva's, and Friday morning I had a letter from Ans. that had two in it. the same day your letter came we were paid off, so now I am pretty well supplied with the needful now I want paper and envelopes, and as soon as these can be brought to us by the sutler I shall be in condition to write again. I have only eight unanswered letters after this one. 

 

We are having some very disagreeable weather for soldiers. it began to rain Friday, and towards night it turned to snow. all the while we were out in it, taking the whole benefit of the snow rain and cold together. it was dark before we had got our tents up, and supper cooked and eaten. then I was detailed to go and help pitch the Col. tent cut wood and and make a fire for him. we got through about eight oclock pretty well soaked through. Co I. had some rousing fires and by nine oclock I was dry as a bone. then I turned in. Saturday and Sunday it did not thaw scarcely any, so we had to keep rousing fires going to keep from freezing. we are on top of the hill and the other reg^ts are camped on the sides below us. their smoke comes right in among us and yesterday the smoke was so thick our eyes were running and noses too all the afternoon I had to lay around with my eyes shut and handkerchief wiping the water off from the end of my nose. we cant move camp to soon for me 

 

            They say Burnside has resigned his commission and the command given to Jo. Hooker. If this is true then we may bid good bye to the best commander we have ever had and at the same time to all the comfort we have had up to this time. Burnside took care that his men were used as men or soldiers ought to be. Hooker will go in slap, dash hit or miss no matter what the men undergo. Well! we have only eighteen months more. we have been climbing the hill till now but from this out we are going down on the other side. I wonder if we shall have to serve the whole time? We are not in Sigel's corps but under Franklin. The pictures on that election ticket you sent me look natural as far as I can judge I have as you say, had the pleasure of seeing them all but Halleck and I have seen them sometimes when it was not a great deal of pleasure John seems to be about the same sort of a fellow he used to be. that little talk of his that you put in made me laugh so that Parkhurst wanted to know what had happened at home so / pleasing. I should like to see that young chip and hear him talk a little maybe I shall have a chance one of these days. what in the old Harry has got into Ans. he has written four letters and I have answered only one. I shall have business enough now on hand to keep me writing a good while.

 

Every thing is cheap as dirt out here. every thing in the eating line I mean, butter can be had in small quantities at a dollar a pound condensed milk sixty cents a can (not quite a pint) mollasses cookies eight for twenty five cents. Tobacco brings one dollar and a half a pound. cheap aint it, other things in proportion. some of the boys have just bought a chicken and paid nine shillings for it. We are now down stream about twelve or fifteen miles from our camp at Stafford Court House, and near the Potomac river. When will a move be made do you think towards taking Fredericksburg. I suppose there will be quite a little squirmish there when it does come off Have you got any sleighing at home yet. it must be this last snow storm reached as far north as So. Milford           

L C Cook.

 

[front margin upside down]

 

I have just made a raise of some envelopes

                                               

Now I am going to

writing for a

business

 

Dec 9. My Birthday! Whew what a time

 

I'll have celebrating. Six years ago tonight I went to a dance in Mendon

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