One month and a big bit.

 

Brandy Station, Va.                           

April 10. 1864.     

                  

Dear Sister.                

Now I am not going to commence my letter in the style you did yours. No siree. For if I did I should be afraid we might get to quarreling, and that you know would be unpleasant after so long a correspondence and so pleasant too, and so near its end. So I hope you will not lay any thing up against me. If I have done wrong I am perfectly willing to be forgiven. Perhaps I will write two letters in one week after we commence active operations, if I find any thing sufficiently interesting to go to that trouble, and that will bring us up on the scratch again. Wont that be right? The second installment of V.V.'s arrived here yesterday afternoon direct from R.I. this completes the lot that went from Company I. The rain was pouring like big guns when they / got here and the mud was shoe deep all the way up from Brandy. The first we knew of there coming some one knocked on the door of my tent and when we opened it who should appear to us but Jo Wood Esq^r. Private of company I. He always takes up his headquarters here with me every time he has returned from any of his wanderings soon after he had got fairly settled down before the fire some one else knocked. Tom Lewis' picture was this time presented to us, also in want of someone to take pity upon him and take him in. He found his tent in a bad condition. (he is in the pioneer corps you know.) chimney all down and the rain beating in with everything soaking wet. So he concluded to try my house while his partner got in with some one else. We were pretty well huddled up last night in consequence of so big a family, but we managed to weather it. Our bed is about four feet wide. pretty comfortable for two, a little crowded for three, but for another one still, about as thick as four in a bed. Jo got in on the back side Lewis in the middle, and Loomis on the front side, / and about that time there wasnt much room left. So I had to make up a bed on the sofa a little place about four feet long that we made to sit on I was on guard at the ambulances the night before and had only two hours sleep in all night and I didnt need a great deal of coaxing to sleep in any place I could get into, and I rather think I had as good a nights rest as any of the three that slept in the bed. Jo has got orders to report in Washington immediately, probably to be examined for a commission. The Major wants him to stay here and not leave the regiment, but if he can succeed in passing examination it will be a better position than in any volunteer regiment. If he passes he has some expectations of getting the situation of Quartermaster. he has all the recommendations that any one could desire, besides having the names of all the principle officers in the regiment. he has got that of the Gov. of R.I. I hope he will make out this time to get his commission, as he has tried hard enough for it and times enough The first year he was trying to get into the Navy but failed. 

 

Some of the boys have come back pretty well peppered, but they are not so many as I expected. We have now got a pretty good sized company after all the V.V.'s have returned. It has cleared away this morning and the sun shines as hot as a summer day. the ground about camp dry dries up pretty fast but hangs in the roads some time. If it should stop raining every other day and give time for everything to dry up a little it would not be long before this little army started upon the trot once more. But there is only two months more for them to trot us before they will have to start us on a trot towards the East. every week now makes a big hole in the time left us to serve our Uncle Sam but I am afraid there is just enough left to get us into one more grand battle. We have come out at the big end of the horn every time as yet, and we live in hopes that we may not have to try the little end. Your letter bringing the eight stamps arrived here Friday night you will not have many more to send will you. Jo says he saw Eva and the baby when he was home. he says she was looking better than when he saw her last winter Good day         L. C. Cook.

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