Camp Sedgewick.                  

Near Brandy Station Va.

April 3^rd /64.

                       

Dear Sister.

             Good morning Sally! How do you do! So as to be about I presume.

 

            Writing this makes me think of Parkman, when he used to ride along on his way to church "up in town". I most always used to be about some where in sight, and I always knew what he was going to say. "How do Lowell" would be the first article on the docket, and always wind up with "Be good boy" You remember the old carriage he used to ride in dont you. I would like to have it out here when we move it would be a first rate thing to sleep in at night when on the march /

 

We are having a good deal of wet weather nowadays rains almost every other day and when it dont rain it snows. day before yesterday about noon it set in for an old N. Easter. in the night it turned to snow, and kept on till near night yesterday. it snowed and melted most as fast as it fell. in the morning yesterday the slush was almost over shoe but it vamoosed pretty shortly. The Old Blue Ridge has looked pretty wintry for some time past and I think very likely the snow is a foot deep there.

 

            We received orders a short time ago (the whole army too I suppose) to practice target shooting. We begun Wednesday firing ten rounds to the man. I did not go as I had a job of work to do at head quarters "fixing up" around the officers quarters. Co. I. did not make a very good report of their firing, only two holes being made in the target out of about two hundred and fifty shots. / Distance sixty rods. I suppose if I had been there the target would have been torn all to pieces. The Thirty Seventh Mass. had bad luck the same day and it seems as if that is an unlucky regiment. one of the men tending their target got shot through the belly making it was thought a mortal wound. I have not heard from him since it happened, but there was a funeral there yesterday and it may be it was his. there was a man very sick with the pleurisy there so I dont know which one it was that died, one of them sure any way.

 

Old Daniel Thurber has come again to pay us off. He has paid the Seventh Mass. and was paying the thirty seventh yesterday. I think we shall be the last one paid this the time, as the 10^th Mass was not paid at all when he was here before for we marched the day after he finished the Second. The same game was played on us last June the last time we crossed the river / at Fredericksburg. One or two regiments got paid the day before we crossed and when we put ourselves where no river separated us from the rebels the old fellow did not care to follow us. On Sunday morning inspections now there are two men picked out of each company to do fatigue and police duty. Those honored in this way are the ones having dirty muskets or dirty clothes The Captain hated to take any one this morning as there wasnt any one but was looking good and clean but he had to, and so he did.

 

Today is Ma's birthday aint it. third of April did she get her birthday's present? It had ought to be framed before long or it will be apt to get torn. Then you couldnt make out what the matter was with me that I didnt write. Well I guess you have got the letter before this time. I hadnt any news to write and I thought I would slip over a week I was waiting for your letter to come for another reason, so I could answer it. Lieut Col. Read is here now and has got command of the regiment he is looking pretty well. From your humble servant. L.C.C.

 

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Our pickets have to go nearly to Stone House Mountain now.

 

We are now Fourth Brigade, Second Division, Sixth Corps, Army of the Pot-o-mac.

 

Who lives in the "Plain House" now.

 

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I guess you may send me some more of Ma's thread in your next

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