Camp Near Fredericksburg Va.

Jan. 25, 1863.

                       

Dear Sister.

                                    Your letter written a week ago today has just arrived this morning and I will proceed to answer it without delay. I presume you have heard long before this that the Army of the Potomac was again in motion, and I also presume you have heard that the motion did not amount to much. I will give you a few of the facts as came under my own observation. Tuesday morning we got orders to march at noon. at that time we got into line, when Burnsides address to his troops was read to us announcing that he believed the proper time had arrived when we might again cross the river and gain a success. We marched till night and camped in a nice piece of wood clean and dry. the woods / could not have been in better condition for military movements. Early in the evening it began to rain and continued to through the night. the next morning before light, orders came to get up and go on. It did seem a little too bad to get up out of a nice warm dry bed, roll up the blankets and the wet tents, shoulder them and march off, so we did not (Lewis and I) we lay till about eight then ate breakfast and packed up and followed the regiment. O! Gosh wasnt the mud deep and wasnt there plenty of stragglers too. we floundered along through the mud and got up with the regt. in the afternoon, camped. we just got our tents up and drying ourselves when we had to pack up again and find another spot, as we were too much exposed to the mercy of the rebels had they attempted to have shelled us. Devens this time put us on a side hill about as steep as the roof of a house and at the bottom of it there was a little brook. every one had to brace themselves against logs laid on the lower side to keep from rolling down when they got to sleep. We staid here in the rain Wednesday night Thursday and Friday morning started on the back track 

 

            The mud had now got so deep that the idea of crossing the river was simply impossible the teams had to be doubled to get along and then some times they could not be brought up. our cracker train could not keep up to us and it was as bad to go without them as it would be to go without ammunition. The mules got in so deep that they would not get out and were shot just as lay. quite a number were disposed of in this manner. I saw one lying in the mud with only a little of his side and top of his back in sight. The Second Rhode Island and Tenth Mass. were detailed to bring up the battery that was with us and when the horses were stuck they hitched the men onto the cannon and in that way got them along. one piece there was fourteen horses on it. all of co I. and with a good deal of swearing made out to get up the hill.

 

This is all the dependence you can put on any movement you are about to make in this country in the winter time the roads may be in first rate condition one day, the next impassable. I wonder what the folks at home will think of this. What will the New York Herald say of it. I suppose it will lay the blame on somebody War Department likely it generally does such movements. /

 

            This army is carrying on a flourishing business just now in the deserting line. every regiment I can hear of lost more or less deserters in this last move five out of this co went and between thirty five and forty out of the regiment. Before we got back to camp about every officer was drunk. Col Viall had all on board he could carry. He got into a fight within a mile or two of camp with a cavalry man, the most disgraceful thing I have seen since I have been in the army. swords and pistols were used freely in the scrape but nobody got hurt. Capt Stanley acted like a fool. he rushed in with his revolver fired two shots into the mans horse and then another one followed his example. I dont know whether they had to kill the horse afterwards or not. The Officers all stopped at Couch's headquarters a little while before and drinked as much as an hour then went on to the Seventh R.I. and had another nipper all around so by the time they got to where they had the fight they were pretty well cooned. The Col. I believe goes home tomorrow. We are to have a new Chaplain and new Major, both coming from Providence. Gov Sprague is down on this regiment in earnest. all the commissioned officers come from P. now for this regiment. 

 

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If you send a box you may send me a quire of writing paper if you like]

 

            I believe now I will go to work and answer your letter as I have not said any thing at all relating to it yet. I found five postage stamps in it and a package of T. the latter I have not opened yet but shall probably in the course of the next few days In my next I will let you know how it went. Accept my thanks which I am afraid will be poor pay. Your letter was postmarked Boston. You did not go to B with it did you to put it in the P.O. I concluded you gave it to S.W.G. after the mail was made up in the morning and that he went there that day and so mailed it there himself. thats what I concluded.

 

I dont know what to say about a box. I presume it would get to me in time, but where it would find me I cant tell. It might get to me just as we were starting on a march as was the case last Tuesday with some of our men. they had to give most everything away. one of the thirty seventh Mass. had a box come / with a cheese in it he gave most all of it away I got a piece about three pounds and paid him fifty cents. I should paid the sutler 1.20 for the same. I should like a box first rate, and it might possibly get to me in a good time but I cant tell. Do as you think best, if you send me one not have it very large, about the size of the one you sent me last, not send any clothing unless a pair of stockings, nor anything else to carry on a march because fifty pounds is still all I can carry easy all day we may stay here till the time comes for settled weather and if we do there will be time enough. Do as you like.

I believe we have the same storms here you do at home only they are not always the same days. that Friday you wrote as being very rainy was fair here, the storm had passed. this last one old North Easter I guess got to your house first. that was the only N.C. storm we have had since last June or July, a good while isnt it.

Well it seems Mary Allen has got through with her troubles at last. everyone knows she has had enough of them for the last two or three years. Hewitt courted her a long time and then left. / that almost killed her, it was said at the time that she went crazy. I know she acted very different from what she used too. I had never heard that Adin was waiting upon her, or if I had I had forgotten it. that sounds just like Adin "too poor to marry her" it is him all over. I'll bet I know just how he looked when he told her so. he is a curious fellow, be as apt to carry his fiddle to a funeral as to a dance and not think but what both places were alike. He is the most thoughtless careless fellow I know of. I suppose he will say he was sorry she done so and not think anything more about it. I should like to be at home to help get out the stuff for that Railroad but I should rather cart them than to do the cutting. I like to draw stuff where the road is about two miles, so there wont be much work loading and unloading. It suited me about as well as any work ever did when I drew logs from neck hill to Thompsons saw mill. I could worked on that route till this time I think without getting tired of it. / I should want to look pretty sharp before I concluded the bargain because I feel afraid of these new enterprises especially such an old one as the "air line railroad" It has been up to this time rather poor property

 

You want to know if I never have any colds, coughs, chilblains &c I have not been troubled but very little with any ailments since I left the Peninsula I had a little cold when we crossed the river at Fredericksburg but I guess laying out that night cured it for I never thought any thing more about it till after we recrossed the river when I discovered I was well no cold at all. I have not had a touch of the chilblains yet. I guess nobody has them out here for I never hear anything said about them. We are having nice weather again it has cleared away is warm as a May day the robins and blue birds are plenty and are making music that reminds me of mornings at home when I would be hitching up the oxen to go out ploughing. as the days grow longer and warmer they will leave to go and see you and there will then be no birds left with us in the long summer days except turkey buzzards and all sich      L. C. Cook.

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