Near Fredricksburg Dec 27^th 1862

 

Dear Mother

            I received your letter of Dec 21^st No 2. this morning. In it I found 50 cts and some cayenne pepper. I have numbered this letter 6, but I am not certain whether it is 5 or 6 at any rate in the last one I gave you some account of my experience during the battle it was written since we got back to camp.

 

You say that Sam wishes he was back to Newberne and that the thought occurred to you if he could only take my place. I should be very glad to come home and stay a few days and see all the good folks, but I hardly think I should be contented to come home for good just at present. It seems to me it must be rather dull music for an able bodied young man in Harvard about this time. Yet I do not think I shall hesitate about coming home when the war is over.

 

In regard to the Recorder I hardly know what to say. If you conclude to take it I should like very well to have the reading of it but if you would like to keep a file of it I am not very particular as it will be interesting to me if I should come back again. I see by the papers that Parsons Cooke has retired from the editorial department on account of his health. How is it. is the paper as interesting as before he left it? I have received the mittens you knit me and the letter also.

Our reg^t has not been paid off yet. We are thinking perhaps we shall be the 1^st of next month. All regt^s are mustered in and the pay rolls made out and sent to Washington once in two months but that does not always bring the money.

 

I am glad to hear that cousin Charles is going to write to me I shall endeavor to answer it.

 

The weather here now is not very cold. We have got our tent fixed up now with a mud chimney and fire place so that we can keep our selves quite comfortable though it is so warm today we do not need a fire. The weather out here is pretty much the same as at home as far as the changes are concerned only it is not so severe. When you have a cold snap there we have one here only not so cold and when you have a mild spell we have one more mild. The ground is not frozen much here now and in good dry places the roads are somewhat dusty. I have got all the clothing I need at present as I have just drawn a pair of drawers and pants and one pair of stockings. My vest that I brought with me is just the thing for this weather.

 

Since the battle we have not been doing much only we have been down to the river twice doing picket duty. We stay 24 hours at a time. I suppose you are aware that there is no firing between the pickets. The last time we were down was last monday. Our company was stationed on what is called the Washington estate, the one owned by Georges father and the same where he cut the cherry tree. There is nothing there now to indicate that he ever lived there though. There was one small house and a large barn near us the house was deserted. There was rosebush near by the leaves of which were green and I picked off a few of them and will send them to you. /

 

I wrote to Georgia day before yesterday and told her I would send her some but I sealed up the letter and sent it to the mail before I and forgot to put them in so if you will give her a few of these I will be much obliged.

 

While we were down to the river it was a good clear day and we had a good view of the battle ground and the rebel batteries. I do not know as I can give you any better idea of it than for you to suppose the Nashua river to be the Rappahannock and down by aunt Abbys or most any where in Stillriver to be our side of it where we are stationed. There is this difference though, there is no interval land on the Rappahannock and our bank is higher than the southern one and steeper. But to stand here and look off onto the hills beyond Fredricksburg seems very much somewhat like standing at aunt Abbys and looking across the Nashua. If you will now imagine those hills to be fortified with a battery and an earthwork thrown up on each one of them as far as you could see up and down the river you will have some idea of the job Burnside undertook when he undertook to carry those works. You see it was uphill work for our troops in charging on the batteries, and the rebels wouldnt come out did not come out from behind their works only once I believe so it was not a fair fight. But I do not blame them for that. How is Mr Thompson nowadays? is he at work at the mill? I suppose he crows considerable over this last fight. Tell we "aint dead yet" and that for my part I am willing to try it over again and take a more active part if it is necessary although I hope our officers will give us a little better chance if possible.

 

At night our pickets have to stand sentry close to the river bank so that that they can see any boat that attempts to cross, but in the day time they are withdrawn a few rods as they can see just as well. The rebels do the same. At night while I was on my beat I could hear the rebel sentrys cough plainly and it seemed as if all the dogs in the city were having a general jollification for they barking most all night. On the beat above mine the rebs could be heard digging and shoveling. They were throwing up a rifle pit opposite where our pontoon bridge was thrown across. But I do not believe it will be of much use to them as our batteries can throw shells right into it if they wish to. There has been some talking across the river between the pickets but there was none that day I was down. Two of our officers and two reporters I took them to be came down to the river and looked into the [faded] with their glasses and two rebel officers came down on the other side. The secesh officers raised their hats very politely and ours returned the compliment.

 

But I must bring my letter to a close. Please remember me to all inquiring friends. O I forgot to say anything about Christmas. We had a very quiet time of it only three of our Irishmen went off on a spree and had a fight and got pretty well bruised up. But I will wish you all a happy new year and close this letter.

                                                                                   

from your son

E. W. Stacy.

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