Headquarters Fiftieth Regt., N.Y.S.V. Camp Lesley Co. G

Halls Hill, Va. Oct 14^th 1861

 

Dear Parents

                        I take this opportunity of writing a few lines to you to inform you of my health and location I am as well as usual and hope these few lines will find you all well We are located the same as we were when I last wrote you I have no news of importance to write in fact all the news I have is of the army and that only what goes on in our own vicinity there is an onward / movement of the Grand Army of the Potomac towards Centreville Manassas and Richmond I hope there will be no more Bull Run affairs our troop move carefully we expect to move every day We have stayed here 2 weeks tomorrow which is a great length of time for us though we are pretty well in the advance there has been some talk of our going to Cape Hatteras North Carolina which would be delightful to winter in a warmer climate We have not suffered yet though there has been some cold nights I have had a kind of furnace or stove built in my tent or house it is shaped like a house about 8 feet square and ten feet from the ground to the ridge pole and 5 feet to the roof there is 2 roofs to it one about 6 inches above the / other the upper one projects over the other to prevent rain from beating against it I have my fire in one end there is a hole dug in the ground covered over except where you put in wood with sheet iron runs to the outside and then I have got 2 lengths of stove pipe which makes a good draught on one side I have my bed on the other my writing table covered with books and papers and my trunk by the side of it I have just unpacked my trunk I have had it packed the last 2 days expecting to make a move we were under arms last saturday afternoon and night all night expecting an attack we were ready with our haversacks filled with rations but all passed of quietly this afternoon we have been under a Review and inspection all the afternoon you fellows there to home may think / we are idle but it is a great mistake the men in the army work harder than they did at home as a general thing that is all the fault I find I do not get a spare moment except nights and then I ought to study I got a couple of letters from Ella to day she wrote they was well and Ellen getting better which you may well think is good news to me they write every thing is very low there though I see by the New York papers that trade has revived up a considerable you will please write me the particulars also if John Ryan is in the 32^nd N.Y. Regt I have heard he was

 

Excuse my scribbling remember it is in camp where we have poor pens and they are turned into swords and bayonets

 

From your Affectionate Son

                        Walker V Personius

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