Camp Culpeper Virginna

January the 6 1864

 

Dear Sister                                                                                          

I take the presant oppertunity of writing you a few lines to let you no how we are getting a long we are getting a long very well at presant and the most of the company enjoy good health and that is the main part of a man getting a long well I halve found that out long ago I will bet I halve for when a man is well he feels well that is kind of queer to aint it

 

well I must tell you what we halve been doing for the last week we halve been building stabling for our poor horses and they need it for it is very cold heare at presant it is cold a nuff to frieze the horns off of a muley cow and you no that the weather is very cold when it will do that as for our selves we halve fixt up middling comfortable we halve got log huts built and coverd with canvas it makes a very nice house ours is a bout eight by ten for five of us and we get a long very well as long as we halve plenty eat wich we halve had prety plenty since we recieved that box but it is getting / all but then we get middling plenty while we lay in winter quarters we cant complain for fear of worse I would hate the worse but some times we haft to take it but I must tell you that we get very tierd and lonesome laying in camp if it werent for the letters we get I dont no what we would do I think we would go crazy we can get plenty of papers but what doze that amount to we can read them over in five minuts and when you halve read them you dont no much more than you did before you began to read there is eighteen or twenty of our boys has reinlisted for three years more they are a going to go to a furlough for thirty five days to go home I need not tell you ho they are for you dont no meny of them I halve come to the conclusion to wait on till my time is out be fore I inlist a gain I think that there will be plenty of chance then if not there will be no love lost for I aint very paticlar wether I inlist at presant or not how are you inlist wright smart I thank you but not so smart as we ust to be well I hardly no what to write a bout for times ar dull at presant / not meny sprees nor singens or such likes going on heare at presant for the most of the folks halve gone to the war that queer to aint it Liz I bet you cant gess what I seen the other day will you give it up yes I give it up well then I will tell you I seen a real prety little gal I most fell in love with her you cant gess what she said to me she said good morning and I said good morning to that was all I said that wasent much was it I was most a feard to speak to her for it has been so long since I had seen one but I musterd up corage and spok to her she dont live far from our Battery a bout as far as kelsoes not quite so far I think I will haft to put on a new shirt and my other new clothes and go down and see her I think that would be a good ida dont you if she wont let me stay it wont take me long to go home for it aint far to go not as far as I ust to go when I ust to go and see the gals back there but that is plaid out know 

 

            Well I gess I halve told you all I halve to tell you this time when you get this letter I want you to write and tell me all the news tell me what kind of a time you folks had on new years and christmas I can tell you what kind of a time I had in a very few words I had a very dry time a bout the dryest I ever had but I hope to see better times be fore meny years James Covert has inlisted for three years more and expect to start home and he says he will com down and see you and the rest of the folks I will close by hoping to heare from you soon nothing more at presant but remain your Brother        

Geor Bender

 

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