camp near Harpers Ferry

Thursday Oct 23 1862

 

Dear Parents

                        I got your letter night before last I was verry glad to get it the postage stamps were verry acceptable I am glad to hear that Father gets along as well as he does with the crops and so forth I have written to Loomis and Frank this week I am on picket with Jerry Hubard and Penfield from [?] we have good food to what we have had you may like to know how we live our food is fresh meat fresh enough sometimes the first operation is the meat is cut up to give it a flavor it is thrown down in the dirt from there it is thrown into a boiler such as Mrs Black boils her clothes in and then we have got a barrel of flour called wheat (the first we have had) but the right name is dirt which is stired up in a great pail / like the one we feed the piggy in they are made into slap jacks as the boys call or we would call them this with hard tack constitutes our food I forgot to say that the pan that is on the fire is swabed with a big cloth on the end of a stick which with soup grease makes a good meal this with coffee made of jollop and chickerey makes a meal Directions two slapjacks a small piece of salt horse or pork fresh meat with a hard cracker and one tin of coffee which is a half pint is all we have till the next meal then the way we set the table first set the plate in the dirt then squat on the ground turk fashion dont mind if the wind blows a stray leaf with a lot of dirt on your plate and your coffee is made a little thicker by the introduction of a little dirt and then we have a gay way of sleeping we have no tents nothing but our blankets to sleep on we are not allowed to sleep the 24 hours we are on guard but we feel somewhat better / than awhile ago Marion has got one of my photographs did you give Mag Allison one the doctor and Minnie and Loomis have each got one two in Portland two in Hartford Mary Cornell in Cromwell has one and you have one Charles Hubbard mother has one that makes a dozen so I cant let any more go for I have not got any how are all the folks in Cromtown Hattie Edwards and all the young folks Jeremiah heard from home for a good while the box has not come yet did they send it to Capt Hubbard Jerry has wrote to his brother but no answer yet Ed Black is first rate as is Charles Hubbard and Jerry James Conniff and I all weigh from 5 to 10 pounds more than we did Philip Helenthal has got the dysentery and not much hopes of his recovery dont let his wife know of it the surgeon says he may get well he belongs on the plains several of the regiments have left that are near us have gone for parts unknown dont know when we shall go Rob Allison is first rate is as fat as a hog W^m Stickney looks first rate / the Sage boys are driving ambulance teams our Brigadier is Genl Kane brother of Kane of Artic fame he was wounded three times in the battle of fair oaks our Col is James Ross Lieut Col Wooster Major Buckinham Adjutant Arms Surgeon Casey Capt G A Parker 1^st Lieut of Co D Caldwell 2^nd Lieut Cambell Genl Williams 12^th Army Corps Burnsides Division acting with Genl Geo B McClellan and so on we are on guard or on picket nearly evry other day our drills are Tattoo ½ past four squad drill 6 to 7 orderlys drill at ½ past 8 to ½ 9 Company drill from 10 to 12 Battalion drill from 3 to 5 dress parade 5 to half past five I believe I have given you the news for this time Remember me to all worth doing so and I remain your            

 

Son      Geo S Palmer

 

do the cows and pigs suffer any how is the old horse and how are the crops

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