Camp Near Falmouth Va.

April 26. 1863.

                                   

Dear Sister.

            I find myself sitting down again. to that fellow in the South Milford Howdoyoudo! this fine morning.

 

            I received your letter paper, postage stamps, letter paper, envelopes &c & so on last Thursday night in due time. the letter paper is in good shape not broken at all. I will show you how well it came through when the other is used up and gone.

 

            You had better keep an account of the presents you send out to the Army for at the rate they have been coming lately will be likely to amount to quite a sum by the time this war is settled. 

 

My postage stamps hold out well yet. I believe I have got about ten now besides a stamped envelope. The envelopes you send are real pretty little ones quite right to send to the gu—ladies

 

            You want to know whether or not I begin to smell a battle. There may not be any in a month possibly, but you must not be surprised any day to hear that the army of the Potomac was across the Rappahannock on its Southern bank. It would not surprise me in the least if we were turned out this very night to cross the river. But if it keeps on raining every other day Hooker may not move at present. If our forces had met with a success instead of defeat at Charleston we should have been across before this time perhaps half way to Richmond 

 

            I should liked to have been in the hall at that shindig the other night I read an account of it in the Woonsocket Patriot the other day. Well I may be there yet to some of them some of these fine days or evenings and have a good time with the rest of the Boys. How is that railroad man getting along with Pa. has he sent another set of men to go to work in the woods? Seems to me I should want to look out for him pretty sharp.

 

            I have been trying to get Parkhurst started out on a tramp this afternoon up towards Falmouth and along the line of hills where our batteries were on the battle of Fredericsburg. I do not know whether we shall go or not. I guess we shall if we can get an opera glass to look into the city. 

 

It has been rather windy and cold this morning, a little like March. Then Ans has got back has he. Did he go to Moorehead Lake this time? He wrote me once that he had sold his horse and got a fifty dollar bill He wrote as though it felt hot in his pocket and made him feel uneasy He said he was a good mind to go East the next morning, but I thought he would get over it again and stay along with Googins. I should like to have a letter from him now and hear of his adventures.

 

The Paymaster has got along at last. he has paid the thirty seventh Mass. and is now paying the seventh. It takes him the longest to count the money of any paymaster I ever saw. There will be six months pay due us by the time he gets here. I shall not have so big a pile coming to me this time as the last. 4½ dollars will have to be taken out as I got so much to much the last time I owe the sutler $6 and I have had my watch fixed so it all together will make my four months pay rather small. Lowell C Cook.

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