Bristow's Station, Va.

October 11. 1863.

                                   

Dear Sister,

                                                I suppose you will be expecting a few lines from me about next Thursday or Friday night and if I do not set about writing pretty soon you will be disappointed.

 

            Your letter came safely through last Thursday night. the stamps came quite "opportunely" as I used the last one on the last letter to you. the gluten had got all off from the one I had but the Adjutant gave me another so I was all right. I guess there is not a stamp used in the whole regiment but what comes from home in letters. I dont know of any place where they can be bought.

 

            I thought you said Ma did not get the premium on her braid. I saw her name in the Patriot. Mrs. O. Cook, fifty cents. / "how about that", there was another name first one after hers. Miss E. F. Norcross fifty cents for straw bonnets, and another Miss O. Adams fifty cents, do. "how about that too". It seems by the Pat that the cattle show was as great a success as ever the proceeds taken at the door amounted to quite a considerable sum I hope I can attend by the time the next one happens We stay here yet with Old Bristow but I think it is very uncertain how much longer we do. the signs of the times I think indicate a "fall back" whenever Gen. Lee chooses to press us too hard. I do not imagine it has been Meade's intention at any time since we left Warrenton to run the risk of a general engagement The army of the Potomac is not now what it has been in times past, nearly one half of it has been sent away into other armies and so it is not in very good condition to meet Lee if he should pitch onto us with his whole force I think Lee could bring up his old army again to meet us in a shorter time than / our army could be got together again. We are fortifying the railroad all along our pickets extend down as far as the bridge over Bull Run and up so far as the first brigade pickets. picketing is going to keep us pretty busy while we stay here as much as three days on and three off. our Bull Run pickets go on for eight days at a time. I do not think you need to be surprised at any time to hear the whole army is fifty miles nearer Washington than it is now. perhaps I have got a wrong idea into my head but I think not. Then you think you are about as good for guessing as any of them do you. Well I'll let you. you have the cent as soon as the government affixes postage currency of that denomination. specie I do not deal in at all of late so I cannot pay the bet in that way. I think there was a treble game played instead of a double one considerable of the old stock there I tell you. I suppose the shirts are all completed now are they not. I think tomorrow about two oclock will see a box leave the depot at Woonsocket for the army / am I mistaken or not. I wish I had written for you to put in a case knife but I forgot it. If you want to send me a diary I rather think I could scribble it over as much as you could desire but as for its being very interesting I should rather incline to doubt it however we can try. How is it have they got any more emory cloth in Milford I should like a piece very much about the same size as the piece you sent before get as thick heavy cloth as they have. it lasts the longer and makes a nicer polish I left the other piece at Warrenton, all used up. You wrote some time ago of a map by which you could trace the route of all our marches in Va. If you can find another at any time without too much trouble I would like one. I guess you are thinking if there is any thing I dont want, but what I get you to get I want you to draw pay for from my banker there is enough there I guess for all debts

 

I took a tramp into the country last Monday with the Adjt. we went to Prince William Court House after boards. After we got the team loaded Angell and I went two miles further out alone to get eatables. all we could get was milk and we got all we wanted of that by paying for it Angell is about

 

[through-written upside down]

 

as sly a coon as there is out we went to all the barns henroosts &c we could see and if by accident we run across any body he would ask if they they had any thing to sell. "Got any chickens to sell?" No. any butter? No. Potatoes? No. apples? No. milk? y-e-s. we have a little. so we would go in and drink all we wanted. How much is it? "ten cents a quart" So Angell would hunt out a fifty cent county shin plaster for them to take their pay out of. "that is not good" they would say. It aint, well its all the money Ive got Angell would say, and now what shall we do. "Well you are welcome to the milk", and that would end it for that house. The last house we went to I thought I should have nastied my breeches laughing. there was a woman and four girls all grown up in the yard behind the house trying to get an old ram into the cow yard he was rather ugly and they were all as afraid of him as of a bear. we got within long conversation range and commenced the usual string of questions but milk was the only thing they had meanwhile we had to keep shifting our positions to avoid coming in collision with the ram which seemed as though he meant to give us a boost if it was possible. we kept dodging around till the milk came out to us and while I drew the

 

[continued]

 

rams attention one way Angell went up another and got the milk and so made out to get on the portico where we were safe we swallowed the milk and Angell drew out his never failing shinplaster and reached it to the woman. O! you ought to have seen her jaw it dropped when she saw that come in sight. says she that is not worth the paper it is printed on that kind of money has not passed here for over a year and you ought to see how mad she was the girls did not seem to care any thing about it, all but the old woman. it tickled me almost to death to think how she had helped to keep the ram away so we could drink the milk All I could think of was pictures I have seen in Frank Leslie's of city bucks out in the country among the cattle. We had to get away the best way we could I rather think the old gal would liked to have had the ram given us a little help in leaving but he did not offer any thing of the kind and we got out all right

 

Lewis and I have got things pretty comfortable now a stove in one corner made of brick and a good chimney we can cook first rate. shelves all around to put stuff on our quarters are in better shape for winter weather than those we had last year on the Rappahannock but I guess I'll stop. If I had thought of writing so much I should taken another sheet.

                                                                                               

L C Cook.

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