H'd Q'rs 50^th N.Y. Eng'rs

Washington D.C.

January 16^th 64

 

Dear Wife and Parents

Saturday evening

to day I received your welcome letter of Tuesday last I was glad to hear you was all enjoying your usual good health. We are the same as heretofore every day alike I cannot see as we change either in health manners or mode of life. Our way of living is every day alike and monotonous and not calculated to produce change of health or any improvement in our mental faculties. our relations social are so different from that of the citizen that it would be a hard task for me to explain them to you and they require / more than a passing thought I mentioned in the commencement of my letter that I could not see any difference in our manners when I wrote this I had reference to Charley and myself. I can see a difference of ways and manners of some of those who I knew before they entered the service Some I think are more manly and sober in their habits they have been taken probably from certain bad associations and have seen that they have their own fortune to carve out and they are trying to do their duty as men and soldiers, refusing to participate with persons of the class they associated with at home, but we have others who at home was thought fine promising young men who after / joining the army have become very dissipated this class have the weaker intellect though at home was thought to have the greater These persons persons when at home was kept in check by society and a false pride. after their joining the army this influence of society was removed and full sway was given to their natures and consequence is that they become drunkards gamblers and thieves military discipline fails to keep them from their vices I know men in the service who may be court martialed every month their pay stoped, and kept imprisoned half their time still it will have no effect upon them they care nothing for their pay they can / rob double the amount from some drunken fellow who is thrust in prison with him or if he cannot rob him he can get it from him in gambling

 

But I have been sermonizing long enough for one letter and upon looking over I find that is all I have wrote about it is getting late in the evening and as John Mandeville and myself was out last night in the city theater of course you will have to wait until morning for me to resume my letter 

 

Sunday morning

I will try to write a few more lines this morning to accompany those written last evening

 

            In your last Ella you accept of my offer and say you wish a locket &c Well well I must say you are not bashfull but then if one does not ask they will not receive I will do the best I can to gratify your vanity

 

Our snow has almost gone off it is very soft under foot it freezes nights and thaws during the day making the traveling by foot bad

 

Pa I suppose you have received / and considered my last Charley told me he had also wrote you I suppose for the assistance required I hope it may be granted as I think with the assistance he will secure a good appointment

 

Charley may be home within one week I am inclined to think he may be there before this letter reaches you I cannot come before the 5^th to 10^th of next month as two Officers are now absent and two more are to go before I can get away I had not made up my mind to come home until others got their applications on file before mine this ten days furlough is an expensive thing and does not pay / very big one has to spend the greater part of the time on the rail road and that is dear visiting they ought to give 15 or 20 days than one night stay at home over night once but the shorter the time the more have a chance to go home and there is enough anxious to go to accept the time and numbers

 

I see that you are partially in the dark as well as my self as to origin on Pas side there is no mystery at all on the other side the Walker family as well as / the Voorhees can be traced back for generations the Walkers to England and the Voorhees to Germany but the Voorhis on our side have no appearance of any relation to the German class they are purely English this is caused no doubt by association and marriage

 

But my letter will run into one idea again so I quit

                                                                       

This from your

Affectionate Son & Husband

W. V. Personius

Capt Comdg Co G

SOURCES