A D 1862

March the 30^th

 

Dear Wife

i take my pen in hand to write a few lines to let you know that i am well and hope that these few lines will find you the same i received your kind letter last night We have had some hard times since i wrote last We have had a long march. We left Washington on the 27^th in the evening and now we are 12 miles from the city We had to sleep on the ground that night now we are in sight of Alexandria which / is about 22 miles from Manasses Junction Alexandria is about 12 miles from Washington and we are to march in a few hours again on the fleet We are to go to fortress Monroe it will not take us long to go there there is about two hundred thousand men above here there was about ten thousand men came along with us me a John Jones were in Alexandria yesterday and got our breakfast things are awful dear here five cents a cup for coffee i bought a covering for my cap which me very it comes over my shoulder i had to stand guard last night / and my gum blanket and cap covering came very good me and John were over in the 10^th reg to see Will roberts and W^m Williams Col Blacks regiment left here yesterday a week Roberts saw Thomas Davis before he went off i am in haste i cannot get time to write like i ought to i bought a pair of shoes for fifty cents the boots are so hot it is raining like evry thing We are to start on ten minutes warning

           

direct your the same

as before only put this on it

Post master please forward

after regiment /

 

Mind to address to the 103^rd reg Pa vol

Washington City

 

Smith Sanderson is well

let me know whether you have got the money yet

from your true husband

William Rees

to Mary Rees

and my love to you and my dear parents and Sarah

May god be with you

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