Camp of 23^d Mass. Vols.

Thursday March 24^th.

           

Dear Sister Abbie:—

              Having read the "Canoe and the Saddle" 'till I am tired of reading I will now while away a few moments with the pen. A lazy day in camp has it been. I have read and wrote, walked and sat and gapped, thrown snowballs and had them thrown at me 'till I was glad to take shelter in my tent. Day before yesterday we were visited by a a violent snow-storm it was equal to anything I ever saw in Maine while it lasted. Near eight inches of snow fell and the wind blew very hard. To-day it is melting and day long the boys have been pelting each other while many a darkey has exclaimed "who frowed dat ar"? This evening the moon shines brightly, the weather is mild and I would like to take one of those sleigh rides that you wrote about. I could get the horse and perhaps a sleigh but a satisfactory "&c" would be a hard thing to find in this country.

 

            "The Canoe and the Saddle" is one of Theodore Winthrop's works. How I / shall like it I do not know. commenced it this evening. We are trying to get up a Regtl. library—I obtained this book at that place—We have made a house of slabs and logs and are picking up what reading matter we can find. I have contributed the Atlantic having read all of it that interested me. Gail Hamilton puts forth some sensible ideas and some that are not very sensible. After spending a year or two in the Army she can write correctly about it and not before then. It would not hurt you women folks to read "House and Home Papers" twice. Stephen Yarrow shows the same oddity as ever on the part of the Author.

 

            Here in the tent everything looks like peace and contentment—a good fire in the stove, a young man at my left is writing to his fair Augusta while on the right sit two playing a game of euchre. This after-noon I received a good long letter from George. He writes as though he was contented and appears to be doing finely. Howard also writes that he likes Hebron as well as ever. But I hear the tap of the drum and must close for to-night. Pleasant dreams for you all—more by and by.                 C.C.

 

Saturday evening:—Two more days have passed leaving me alive and well. On Saturdays you wash up the floors, bake puddings and beans so that Sunday may be a day of rest with you. On the same day we clean up everything about our quarters, polish our muskets, brasses and equipments, carefully pack our knap-sacks and all for the Sunday morning inspection. I have been doing all this to-day. / expect to look as well as the best of them to-morrow.

 

            Yester-day's mail brought me three letters—one from Roscoe—one from S. C. Small and one from Fred Blake. All were gladly read and none contained bad news. Small leaves for New Orleans in a few days. Fred is well and doing finely. I wrote him in regard to your not seeing him while in Boston and he replied that it was just as he supposed it was—he thought it was all Mrs. B's work. feels somewhat provoked with her. I do not think she intended to slight him but was a little bit odd just then.

 

            Is the maple syrup as good as ever? By this time the sap must be running quite freely and you all are having sweet times, eat a good lot for me. Has the snow mostly left you? how is the dam over the way? does Willie & Homer sail their shingle boats there? How are the calves and lambs, do the hens lay well? how is the old horse? A farmer is a happy man if he only knows it—banks may fail and stocks run low but as long as the sun shines the farmer prosperous. Roscoe's energy will soon make the old farm shine I expect.

 

            And while I think of it I will again ask you if you received the letter with the money in it. (On looking at my book I find that it was but a week ago that I wrote about it) The papers came to-day. I am always glad to get the old home papers. I read them much more thoroughly than I did when at home. Do you still take the Tribune? You never send / it to me so perhaps are aware that it is not a great friend of mine. In my estimation Greely has played out. What do you think of his ideas about the Negro? The N.Y. Herald is read quite extensively in the army.

 

            The next President appears to attract more attention than the war just now. A majority of the soldiers favor the re-election of Lincoln I think. Writing of papers reminds me of some tracts I have just come across, the first of the kind I have seen in the army. T. B. Thayer, J. W. Hanson, J. C Knowlton and other Universalist ministers write them. One young man who has a very poor opinion of the Universalists, after hearing one of them read remarked that it was very good—much more interesting than most tracts, he did not know who the author was however. I told him after he had made the remark, The American Tract Society sends a vast amount of their tracts to the army but not one in a hundred ever looks at them, they tell the same old story are ground from the mill that has been used a hundred years or longer.

 

            Sunday evening:—Nothing new has transpired to-day it is very warm and pleasant. Several of asked permission to attend church at Portsmouth but the Col. declined to let us go. I have read the last Banner and as soon as I seal up this shall look at the Journal which arrived to-day. Give my regards to Hattie and all other friends. Write as often as ever. Homer and Willie must take good care of the calves and lambs.

                                                                                                           

Your brother

Charles

SOURCES