Newport News Sunday Oct 25^th. 63

 

Dear Mother,

                        (All the same with me as when I wrote to George six days ago.) We landed here last Monday morning and since then have had plenty of work to do. have cleaned up and swept over half of Va., to-morrow expect to commence on the other half. A cook house we finished yester-day, to-morrow build an oven. Our private quarters we have worked on between meals. Our tents are a piece of cotton cloth about 6½ feet one way and a little over 13 the other. Two stakes are driven into the ground as far apart as the tent is wide and to these the center of the tent is made fast and then the ends pinned to the ground, two of them only, the others have no covering. Rubber blankets, boards or anything else that will keep out the cold is used. By raking and scraping the country over the most of us got boards enough for one end and a floor so we are now in rather close, but dry and comfortable quarters. The talk is that we are to have larger tents soon but I don't care much if they don't come now that we have this one in so good shape. Yester-day it rained but no water came through the tent /

 

What we are here for and how long we are to remain you know just as much about as we do. Wednesday night we rec'd marching orders with ten days rations but in an hour it was countermanded. But one brigade is here and that is composed of the 9^th N.J. 23^d & 27^th Mass. and the 81^st & 98^th N.Y. Regts, under the command of Gen. Heckman of N.J.

 

George's letter reached me last Wednesday night and one from Roscoe came at the same time. Both were read as gladly as ever. Tell George now that he has got so well started I hope he will keep it up and write often. Charley Mitchel quite often asks after him. Charley is the steadiest of all the Mitchels I guess. There is not an enlisted man in the Regt. that does not like him, he don't put on quite enough airs for some of the officers.

 

            Roscoe thinks he shall be at home the first of Dec. and I guess you will all be glad to see him. I hope for your sake that he will not be called upon to go into the army, still he may. It is not an easy life but no harder for he and I than for the hundred of thousands of others that are in the field. More men must be raised, and at once too, to take the places of those whose time expires next spring and summer. I hope we are not to have a war with France but should not be at all surprised if we did. I hope our Govt. will prepare for it at once. / I have heard from Abbie but once since she left home. I expect her time is all taken up in running here and there and seeing the many sights. I am glad that she is enjoying the visit so well. Did Melona ever receive that letter of mine containing a little money for the boys? If we ever get through with this everlasting scraping and scrubbing about camp I shall write to her.

 

            For dinner to-day I had almost a home dish. had the meat, potatoes, beets and cabbage, all that was lacking was the turnip and squash. But I was very well satisfied with the dish as it was. Our vegetables still hold out and we are drawing a fair quantity from Govt. also dried apples. I still have a piece of your cheese, the last of the sauce was eaten since coming here, the butter gave out two days ago, two of us have eaten out of it. We get very good butter here for 40 cts a lb. I am glad you sent that tea, we draw mostly coffee and when a little unwell I much rather have the tea. I never have been on a march through a very dry country, could always get a little water so never had any use for the tea there. The last papers from home came four or five days before we left Newbern. one of them gave a full account of the convention at Portland.

 

Write to me when you can find a spare hour and are not too tired. Tell Willie and Homer that Charley thinks of them every day. Willie must write to me. I cannot always write when I would like to.                 

 

Direct to Ft. Monroe.  Charles

 

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I hope I shall be able to get a better pen before I have to write again, this is worn out.

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