Camp Of The Sec R.I. Reg^t

Near Fredericsburg, Va.

March 22 /63.

                       

Dear Sister.

                                                I received your letter last Thursday night, together with the four postage stamps. How the stamps do come in now. It will take me a quite a while to use them if I do not dispose of them in any other way than on letters. We have been on another three days trip of picket duty last week. it was the toughest we have had yet, on duty all the whole time at the front. no reserve for us this time. We had so many different orders given to us as to the manner of posting pickets that it was almost enough to make a minister use hard language. the last two days we had to stand six hours at a time on post and without fires too. The rebels had them on every post and they kindly invited us to come over and warm ourselves by their fires.

 

We got relieved Thursday noon and got back to camp. This regiment has been lucky so far in every thing it has been in but it will be strange if we do not see both sides before long. As soon as we were relieved it began to storm and has kept it up till now, snow and rain. the regiment that relieved us 29 Penn must have had a dreary time of it.

 

I wish you could have been with us and seen the business carried on between us and the rebels There is nice little ships carrying sails, masts, rigging, flag and all that are almost constantly running between the two shores, loaded with goods of some kind or other. I got a Richmond Dispatch on Monday at eleven oclock that same days paper too. I got a big head of tobacco that the sutler charges a dollar for out of the same boat. there was one boat load came across to us with over five dollars worth of tobacco in it. we would send back coffee, northern papers, a "little whiskey" / and quite a number of other articles. one boat capsized with a bottle of whiskey aboard in the middle of the stream. one of the rebels stripped and swam to it and got it. they had one big boat, hold a half dozen men that they would come over in to our side and our men to the other but this played out after the first day. Monday night two rebels came over and would not go back, so the next morning the Major of the rebel pickets had the boat destroyed. these men came into Co. C. The nicest boat afloat had the name "Alabama" "290" painted on it. the rebel flag floated from the rigging I took it off and was a good mind to send it home but then I thought I would put it on again as it might have caused some trouble among the pickets Some of the rebels were at Portsmouth grove hospital last summer and were acquainted with some of our men. the rebel officers talked with us the same as the men. There has been considerable skirmishing up the river this last week, which we could hear. some one asked the rebel picket what he thought was going on upstream. / O! says he, its nothing more than Stuart carrying away some of your Commissary stores. But it seems he did not have his usual luck. I guess if it would tickle you so much as to make you "jump out of your boots", that I had better not come home on a furlough. I did not mean any thing by what I wrote of coming. I settled that matter in mind last summer when I was in Annapolis. I never want the pleasure of coming the second time to this Army. It was fun enough the first time coming. Do you think Charley B. will work for Pa this year? I should hate to see the old place in any one else's possession but I dont know what I should do with it if I was at home. living so long without doing anything is going to to leave us in bad condition to do a days work. But I wish I was there the first of April to go to work. a cornfield or potato patch has more interest for me now than two years ago. I believe a good boiled dinner would not make me grumble now even if it did last a week or so. I dont know but you may remember a few facts in regard to it if you dont I guess Ma does.

                                                                                                                       

L C Cook.

 

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I am well as usual eat twenty two ounce loaf of bread to a meal if I had it.

 

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The rebels sent lots of letters over the river for us to post to be sent North. They said "seal them up after you have read them". they were willing we should read them.

 

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I was told last Sunday that Jo Wood was in a fair way to get a commission So much for getting a furlough. He did go and see the Gov about it. He has dropped a few hints to me at various times that I was not smart enough to see at the time, but after I heard what I did Sunday made me understand it all at once.

 

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Yes if I come home at that time I should have wanted that you speak of.

I want you should send those articles along to me that I have been letting you know from time to time that is if you think they really belong to me.

 

Our Col has gone home it is thought to die, he looks as if was in the consumption

 

Our Lieut Col. it is said has got a dishonorable discharge.

SOURCES