Camp Sedgewick.                  

Near Brandy Station Va.

Jan 10. 1863.

                       

Dear Sister,

                                    Sunday evening has happened around again and finds me writing a few lines to you. I have no answers to any questions that I shall forget tonight for the reason that no letter has appeared as yet from you. All the reason I can imagine for the non appearance of one is that it may have been sent to Johnsons Island in the Niagara river. You recollect of my stating in my New Years letter that Wheatons Brigade left here rather suddenly on that night. Well last Tuesday night at eleven oclock Shaler's Brigade followed them under command of Terry our Division General and it may be that two or three mails for us were sent with the remainder of the division / We did not know where they had gone till the middle of this last week when we heard they had gone to Johnsons Island in order to see that no disturbance might arise. We expected to go too for several days after Shalers troops left but things do not look so much like going now as they did. Shalers men left lots of tents, overcoats, shoes, potatoes and other various articles always sure to collect in camp, which came very acceptable to us. Loomis and I have got now eleven pieces of tent and any quantity of other stuff. The logs to their huts we took for wood to burn so if we stay here through the winter we shall be quite comfortable if present appearances are a true indication of the future.

 

The past week has been a wintry one. The snow line has crept down from the Blue Ridge and has us now within its limits. A snow storm set in Monday morning and continued through the day about two inches fell. Wednesday another one set in just at night / and about as much more fell. I dont know whether sleighs run or not but we haint seen any here all the "vehicles" we see here on runners or wheels are Uncle Sams great lumbering "buggies" they look very well to us now it has been so long we have seen no other kind. I did see a regular northern four wheeled top buggy at Brandy Station the day we got back from our excursion the other side the Rapidan and it looked real home like. It was owned by some one connected with the army. I dont know who. The teams used around here as a general thing would cause some laughter seen going into Milford. they go horseback mostly, two or three sometimes on together It must be as it used to be in grannys younger days. I have heard her say they used to ride in that manner when she was a "gal".

 

I found a little piece in the Woonsocket Patriot this week under the head of "A Virginia family scene" which I will cut out and send / in this if I can find the paper. some one has borrowed it and has not returned it yet. We lay close by the place it speaks of through the night but I cant believe all it says the most savage people we have ever heard of have had some idea of a God, and I dont believe that the first instance of the kind is going to be found in Virginia, Godforsaken as it appears to be. I think it says they never saw a railroad or train of cars. that must be untrue for the Virginia Central and Orange and Alexandria roads are only a few miles away not out of hearing of the whistles. It may be they were scared half to death to see us crawling along through the woods while the rebel batteries were throwing their shells screeching over their heads but you can read the piece yourself. I saw a man apparently an old man hacking a load of rails to the house in his dirty grey suit and at the time I thought I would like to put a bullet after him. Parkhurst were on guard that night about midnight a little dog came

 

[written through upside down]

 

to our post by the fire and crawled up into his lap in under his overcoat as though he too was half scared to death and wanted to be protected Parkhurst took him under his blanket when he turned in and he lay there with through the rest of the night.

                                                                                                           

Lowell C Cook.

 

[top front margin upside down]

 

Monday night I forgot to put my letter in the mail bag in time this morning so it will have to wait till tomorrow. I have been getting up wood today I shot a crow this afternoon with my gun twenty five rods put a ball through a wing and stopped her [?]

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