Camp Barnes

Halls Hill Dec 24 '61

 

Dear Mother

                        This is at least the sixth time I have attempted to write but every time have been called away

 

            You need not be alarmed about the letters reaching me; although they do not always reach me promptly they come at last.

 

            I hardly know what to write as everything remains just the same as it was a month since all the variety we have is an occasional alarm when we are all called / ready for an engagement sometimes we are marched off a few miles but as yet we have not had a chance to meet the enemy; something that we very much desire to do and when we do meet them we will give a good account of ourselves.

 

            I notice in a Boston paper a letter written by one of the 22^d Reg^t giving an account of the 18^th having been driven in while out on picket duty; this story is entirely false as we have never been driven one inch by the enemy but on the contrary they have never shown themselves very near either to drive / us or give us a chance to get at them. I do not know the reason but it is a very plain fact that the 22^d do not like us and we love them just in the same ratio: there has never been any trouble between any members of either Reg^t yet to cause so much love on both sides yet they both had it the first time they met together

 

            It has been splendid weather all winter till within a few days and now we are having true winter weather. I wish you could be here during a storm a New England storm / is nothing to be compared to it: the rain instead of coming down in drops comes by the pailful and the wind blows a perfect gale. sometimes we are obliged to actually hold on to the tent to keep it down

 

Thursday Morn.

                        I was obliged to leave at this point on tuesday and as yesterday was Christmas we had a holiday. I did not get time to finish this. Yesterday I took a tour around the country I went into nearly all the camps / this side of the river; it is quite a sight to look through the camps and see the different modes of living; it would seem to be impossible for a person to live among the Dutch Reg^ts of N.Y. I never saw so much filthiness in my life; but the Yankee camps are as a general thing as neat and tidy as can be.

 

            We have just received our new uniform it is a French style and quite pretty we have every little thing imaginable with it for a soldiers comfort; it is one of the three sent by France for the best three Reg^ts in our army / and we feel quite happy to be among them

 

            Our camp is directly west of Washington from eight to ten miles from V^a if you should happen to come out you will have no trouble in finding us

 

            When you write please write if I can get anything here for my ear I have lately suffered a considerable with the old complaint I hardly think anything can be done for it otherwise I have been in good health. I close with wishing all a happy new Year

 

Charley

 

[note] Lt. Charles F. Lee 18^th Reg. Mass Vol Inf.

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