Warrenton Va.            

September 12. 1863.

                                   

Dear Sister,

                  How often Sunday comes dont it. It seems to me we have two now, where we had only one, when I used to hoe potatoes in the pasture up near the woods back of the house. Do you have them any oftener now than in the days of Auld Lang Syne. Your letter appeared to me Thursday night with an assortment of specimens of cloth for shirts. most anything would have done, but seeing you have given me a chance to make a selection I will take this one, the thickest of the five. I should have taken one of the fancy ones only it looked a little too thin.

 

            I will send you a thread to go by for measurement. I think you will understand the arithmetic of it. / I have taken the measurement of one of my old shirts. This thread you will perceive by a close inspection has a knot in one end. this is, in military language the base of operations. take this knot in one hand and run the other along till near the other end when you will perceive another knot. this is the length of the garment. the knot next to it indicates its width. the next, length of sleeve without the wristband, that was torn off, and I forgot to allow for it. (put on an extra inch) the next is the distance around the neck (measured the binding open) and the next one first from the base, is the width of the sleeve at the shoulder. the bigness or size at the wrist I leave you to guess at. I want it so it will set close without pinching make it a little larger than for your own wrist.

 

I will send you a drawing of the article I have been wearing of late. the body is of one width from top to bottom and made of one piece of cloth represented by "plate 2^th". the sleeves are sewed in at the shoulder without being gathered at all, at / the wrist gathered enough just to take up the cloth. they taper a little in coming from the shoulder. gussets are not plenty at all, a little piece is sewed on the shoulders but none under the arms and I do not see the use of them there. You must not be surprised if I forget to put in any of the things, pattern, thread, or drawing. Who is going to make the shirts you or ma. I guess you will have to give up all other work entirely pretty soon to do mine. dont you begin to think so already? I wish I had had them made before so you might have sent them along in a box (more work). boxes are coming now to the soldiers and had I known we were to have staid here as long as we have I should have sent some time ago. an inch is wide enough for the wristbands, two for the collar. I think this will be all the directions necessary. Now I dont want you to go to putting in any extras in them, you hear.

 

We have had a good old thunder shower to day with lots of wind. a few tents got laid low but they generally stood it pretty well. the men have been fixing their tents / for cold weather, winter quarters I call them. My rank is the same as ever, awful, especially after eating beans I haint wore an officers coat that I remember of. Gen. Terry sent his sword to "that man" who had the clean gun this week to have it put in order. it was carried to the Adjutants and they he not remembering who it was that had the gun sent it to corporal Moffitt of the color guard and he fixed it. I dont know whether I missed a good job or not. he did not give Moffitt anything for doing it, when he carried it back to him, but he told him he would sometime he was at work on it three days. good job.

Parkhurst says take any old bag and cut two holes for the sleeves and one for neck and that will do (for the shirts you understand) I danced Portland fancy a good many times and with several young ladies which of them was it. That other thing is not of much consequence any way, perhaps it would not make you laugh at all and then it would take a long time too, and as I have not much time now perhaps it would be better to wait till I can tell it to you by word of mouth. It seems Pa's ancle was quite a serious affair after all, if he has to use crutches to get around. Good day. L. C Cook.

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