Harpers Ferry Va

Friday January 30^th 1863

 

Dear Annie

                                    I take my pen in hand to inform you that I am well at presant and hope these few lines may find you enjoying the same blessing I have not heard anything from you for so long a time I thought I would endeavour to write a few lines to you to day so as to let you know whear I am situated at presant I wrote a few lines to Sarah since I came here but I do not know wheather she has received it or not I left Camp Distribution on last friday about 8 oclock in the morning and marched / down to Alexandria and stoped there till about One Oclock and got on board the boat for Washington but could not get any transportation that afternoon and stoped at the Soildiers Retreat untill the next morning about 8 Oclock when we started for this place whear I arrived about two Oclock on Saturday afternoon I like the place very well here we have prety good quarters we are quarterd now in an old brick house I was out with the company yesterday on pickett it being the first duty I have done since I came to the Regiment But we dident see nary Reb I guess it was too stormy for them there has been a prety heavy snow storm down here it comenced snowing yesterday day before yesterday / early in the morning and snowed hard all day and night it was snowing in the morning when we went out to releive the picketts and we had a time a going out through the snow drifts our pickett post is about a mile and a half from our quarters the Reble guerilliers make a raid on our cavalary picketts occaionaly which are stationed about a mile outside of our picket line but they dont make much. there is now about 18 inches of snow here on a level and it looks as if it would snow more before night. the 5^th Maryland Regiment is now doing Provost Duty at Harpers Ferry and there is a rumor here to day that it is going to move to the Point of Rocks and that we are a going to take its place but I do not / know for certain wheather we will or not for there is so many rumors that one cannot place much dependance in them our Regiment was paid of on last saturday up to the first of November and the boys have been enjoying themselves since then and there has been some of them went home on a french furlough but I supose they will come back when they get thier visit over if they do not get caught at home I want you to write as soon as you can and let me know how you are getting along up in Pa now and let me know what the people think of the war up there and the way things are going on down here in Virginia I want you to give me the full particulars as I have never herd them particulars you mentioned in one of your letters to me before as I have not received

SOURCES