R Feb 11

 

Thursday 6 1863

 

Camp Near brooks Station

Dear Father Mother Brother and Sisters I once more take my pensyl in hand to write you a few lines to let you no that I am well and hope these few lines may find you all the same I received a couple letters from home last tuesday and was very glad to hear that you was all well but I had not time to answer them until to day because our company had to pack up and march down to brooks station where we are now it is about five miles from the court house where the rest of the regiment is we were sent down here to do fatigue duty which is / which is to onload the cars we haft work one day out of five we have it very easy it hant very hard work to onload the cars for it is only rations which is crackers and pork and coffee and sugar and rice and beans and salt it is fun for us

 

we got down here on Tuesday about noon to which we went to work and put up our tents and dug ditches around them and the next day we had to go down and onload some cars which did not take us over half the day it commenced snowing in the morning and kept on snowing until night but we had to work snow or no snow when it quit snowing it commenced to rain / and rained all night and is a raining yet and they hant enough snow within a mile of here to make a snow ball when it quit snowing their were about three inches of snow we have fine times here

 

last night I went out to a farmer and got my supper which is the first time I have ate in a house since I left home it seemed very strange to me to sit on a chair and eat off of a table and drink my coffee out of a cup and sosser they only charged me fifty cents for it but I think I got the worth of it for I got my supper and then drove one of his pigs down in the woods and then it began to get wild and run / to which I soon put an end to its running for I had my gun with me and when it commenced to run I put a ball through its head and when the gun went of one of our boys came and helped me carry it to camp and I think we will live fine on him he would weigh about 150 lbs as soon as I get this finished I am a going out after a sheep there is a flock about one mile from where we lay I must now bring my letter to a close I am very sorry that we had to loose harry but we could not help it for I done all I could for him I must now stop

 

            from your son will

            to his father and mother

 

            William Swartz

 

            Andrew Swartz

            Wright Soon

            So good buy all

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