Camp Sedgewick       

Near Brandy Station Va

Dec 13. 1863.

                       

Dear Sister,

              I have not yet received your last Sundays letter may be it was not written till after mine was heard from and if such was the case I may not get it in several days yet. What did you think had become of me that I did not write in so long. did you think I had got settled in the "wilderness"? or what?

 

            You see we keep staying here at Brandy Station yet and there is no signs of leaving. Gen Terry asked Sedgewick the other day, permission to put us into a more comfortable position nearer to wood. He did not seem disposed to grant his request as he said the corps as a general thing would not be benefited by moving 

 

The First and Second Divisions were satisfied with their situation also the third Brigade of the third division, and to move those two brigades away would be throwing the whole line of battle out of order.

 

            Upon this news being received in camp work was commenced at once on good warm substantial quarters. The men have been as busy as bees ever since. the officers had wagons to draw their boards and logs for them but the men had to take their shoulders to the work. The woods have been so thoroughly cleaned up of logs and wood that we have to go two miles already to get fuel. What do you think if that you aristocrats at home wouldnt somebody go cold occasionally or else go to bed to keep warm? before they could make up their minds to lug wood that distance My old shoulders have got pretty well toughened to such kind of work. I can carry a four foot stick as heavy as I can put up on my back a mile without stopping to rest. 

 

We cut all the wood as far out as the picket line and that was then advanced nearly a mile further to more wood. I have got a first rate tent good fire place and chimney and corduroy bed built up a foot from the ground I went out Friday three miles from the picket line on a detail after boards for the officers. there was a detail of two hundred men and nearly forty wagons. the boards were taken wherever they were found. drive up to a house take it right down and load it into the teams. Most of our stuff that we got came from one man's plantation alone. His own house was a nice one, built of stone so that we couldnt find any use for, but the inside was taken completely chairs, tables, sofas, carpets, bedding, crockery, pots kettles, &c and everything from the piano down to the "pis pots" under the beds (I am afraid you will begin to think I am getting vulgar) The barns and slave quarters were leveled to the ground loaded up and carted away. Capt. Young who had command of the detail said to us "Boys if you see any thing here you want take it away with you" / and they were not slow to obey that order.

 

A conscript belonging to this company died in our regimental Hospital last Friday night of brain fever. he was sick only three or four days it was brought on I suppose by that awful nights march the other side of the Rapidan. he was all wet through with sweat like all of us and by stopping so long in the road got his death cold. His name is Vose. his mother lives in Bellingham married the second time, the company have raised money to have the body embalmed and sent home one man goes from here to Washington in charge of it. There is one thing at least that looks as if we had got through this years campaign that is the giving of furloughs to the men to go home for ten days. Do you think I had better apply for one? There has four or five made application already so my turn would not come under fifty or sixty days at least. at that time my term of enlistment would be getting somewhat near to a close, every sixty days makes a hole now dont it. Think I could do much work on the farm when I got back "To be continued in our next

                                                                                   

Lowell C Cook.

 

[top margin upside down]

 

I have got a map of Virginia

SOURCES