Camp Hicks near Frederick

Maryland Dec 30^th

 

Dear Sister, having nothing else to do this evening, I thought I would answer your letter. I shant be able to write much for I am pretty tired tonight, for I have been working hard all day. we have been cleaning up our street and finishing our houses. We have got our houses all built, good warm houses. the walls are built of loggs, the roof of boards. we have a large fireplace in one end and bunks on two sides, two of us in a bunk. there is fifteen of us in my mess one Searg^t one Corp^l and 13 Privates. Charles is the Searg^t and I am the / Corp^l. since I have been Corp^l I have changed houses. you see that I am in the same mess with Charles Ed. We bunk togeather. he has got two blanketts and I have got two. We manage to keep pretty warm I assure you. Our house is sixteen feet long and fourteen wide!

 

You wanted to know what kind of a fellow Charles Kimball was, wheather he was steady or not; I will tell you. when he first came out here he was rather unsteady, but there has been a great change in him. at that time he was all bloated up, but he is quite steady now, and looks a great deal better, and appears better in every respect.

 

some people have an idea that the Army is a great place for all kinds of vices. It is not so. at all events it is not so in this / Reg^t, for I know of fellows in this Reg^t who were regular drunkards at home that are as steady as you could wish out here I think it is a good school for such! Why did you want to know about Charles Kimball, did Mrs Kimball want to know? How does Henry get along with his school. does he have good luck. we shall probably stop here all winter. I hope we shall. it is a pretty good place to winter! I shall have to stop writing for there are four or five fellows that have come in to sing and they get up considerable noise. I wrote to Ed Reed yesterday. I sent for a traveling card of the Sons of Temperance. there is a division in Frederick, and I thought that I should like to visit them. I had quite a present the day that I was twenty three years old. What do / you think it was. I will tell you. It was a new coat, presented by the Government, quite a present dont you think so! the boys have left off singing, and commenced talking politics, so I might as well try to write in bedlam as here! Give my love to all and accept this from your Affect

           

Brother

William Carr.

 

P.S. tell Aunt Hannah and Sarah that I will write to them soon.

 

Please write as soon as possible.                    W Carr

(Charles sends his

(Respects to you and Henry)

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