Fort Mahan                

Washington DC.

May 22^d 1864

 

My Dear little Fred come and give papa a kiss way out here in Washington now I will try and write you a little letter and what shall I tell little Fred about I will tell you where I live first papa lives on top of a great high hill in a little house that looks like this [small ink sketch within text] I have three little rooms and I can look down the hill in the back of the house and every thing looks as little as Fred is there is lots of little black boys that live down the hill in little cabins that looks as dirty as can be they dont live in a nice house as Fred does Now I will tell Fred about a little white boy that come to see me the other day who lives down the hill this little boy is / about as big as a pint of cider he has got red hair and he is proper cunning I told him about you he said he should like to see Fred he asked me to let him play with my sword I told him how Fred always put it on when he came down to the Fort and he wanted to put it on he is three years old and haint half so big as you his name is Charlie Fowler then there is another little fat dumpling that lives on the hill his papa is the Ordnance Sergeant to the Fort his name is Taylor and he is not three years old and as fat as a little pig his cheeks hang down they are so fat and his little belly sticks out like Uncle Rodmans which Mother will tell you about. Well this little boy was born in Texas in a tent away off / from here I went to his house the other day and he has got two little sisters about 5 years old so I asked one of these if she would go to ride with me she said yes and the little boy heard what I said and he come running to me and put his arms around my neck and said cunning as Kitty Mullin "me ride to" so I said yes he should go to so I told him how my Fred used to go and ride with me and drive the horse so he said he could drive horse and whip him he has dreadful cunning the little fatter, how I wish old Fred was here to climb in the dirt with them they slide down hill in the dirt just as you do on the snow. there is not a great many little boys / white boys around here but lots of little darke boys and they have not got any picture books or such pretty play things as you have they haint got no knapsack or boiler to wear

 

I see a little snake the other day it had a little fish in its throat half way in and he was wriggling away to get it down but it was hard work I could not stop to see him, but guess he got it down in the course of the day there is not much that is interesting to little boys around here so I shall not have many stories to tell. I heard about little Freds going to school and carrying your letter slate I hope you was a good little boy and learned your lesson well so you will be a big boy soon and come out and help papa work How much papa wishes he could see little Fred every day but I shall see him by and by and kiss him Tell Willie to be a good boy and go to school so to be a big

SOURCES