Suffolk, Virginia. Oct 1, 1862

Camp of 6^th Mass. Reg't Volunteers.

 

My Dear Anderson,

                                    Yours of the 29^th ult. was duly received, and I was very glad indeed to hear from you, as I had very strong misgivings about your physical condition, but now that I know you have recovered, I congratulate you most heartily upon it. I thought of you, no less than you did me, on the morning that I left Camp Wilson, and missed your hearty good bye, which I knew that I should have had, if you had been able to give it me. Almost every man among the Sixth seemed to have some particular friend or friends to bid him farewell and Godspeed, but there was not a single soul up there that cared a cuss about me. I am not generally very sensitive upon such a point, but at that time, I felt it keenly; I was very thankful that my duties absorbed so much of my time, that but very little of it was unoccupied. I thank you for attending to that business, and enclosed you will find the note signed. I received the Andover Advertisers, and read them with more interest than ever before. My sister will send me the Lowell Weekly Journal, and semiweekly Boston Journal, and there are always a plenty of other papers in the camp, so I will not trouble you to send me any now, as I do not really need them. If my supply should fail, I will ask you then. Just now I do not think of any thing that you can send me, but I shall want some things made at Burbank & Chase's soon, and when those are sent I will have you get some things for me. We get along here in camp with very few superfluous articles, you luxurious young men at / home, would never imagine how few things you could get along with. We turned off our boys we took from Lowell, some time ago, and sent them home, and in their place, the Captain has a contraband from North Carolina, as black as a coal. Lieut. Pulsifer and myself rejoice in the possession of a yellow boy, who is quite a smart fellow. Our internal arrangements are thus. Our tent is about ten feet square, with a wall of four feet. Each side is a bed, made of two rails for side pieces, set into forked sticks, the top is made of barrel staves, so you see it is wide enough for one; a long table, made of planks that I got out of a Secesh individuals barn, where I happened to be one day, runs down the middle of the tent, and on this we write, read, eat, and nights, the boy spreads his blanket and sleeps. Quite a striking appearance he presents, as you enter the tent at night, and see him stretched there, with his feet dangling off about a foot at the end. There is no floor to the tent, and we can't keep it very clean. Our dishes of tin, comprising a plate and cup to each one of us, are kept in an ammunition box, under the bed. I set out to get some glass tumblers to drink out of, but was asked 40¢ apiece for them, and declined the bargain. The reveille is beat at quarter past five, and we have to turn out and answer to our names. The cooks get up earlier, and breakfast is generally had at six, so you see that we take time by the forelock. I wish that I could have you out here, a week or two, you would laugh enough to last a month, to see how we live. Salt horse and mule three times a day. Once in a while, a chance to forage is got and then one or two meals are quite respectable, but then we / fall back upon the hard pan, again, and it seems worse than ever. You must pay me a visit here certain. Sargent the expressman was here on Sunday, and also Philbrick the city messenger. I cannot offer you an easy bed or good fare, but I can take care of you as long as you are a mind to stay. You would have to pay your fare to and from Fortress Monroe, but I think you could get a free pass the rest of the way. We shall see something or other this way soon, for the troops are pouring in here fast. Two New York Regiments came in last night, and Brig. Gen. Spinola with them. They were a gay looking set of Dutchmen. I do not know what they will do here without Lager Bier. I wrote Alice a long letter yesterday, and detailed at some length, a tramp that the Regiment made out into the country towards Blackwater, on Saturday. I presume that she will let you read it, and so will not repeat it here, but give you the result of my observations at that time. No doubt was entertained by us, that we should have to fight, for so heavy a force was out, and the report was, that they were getting used up, that we supposed that the enemy were in force & did not know but they were making an onward movement upon Suffolk. You know how often, when we sat together in your chamber last winter, and discussed the beauties of going to war, that I always said I should dislike the marching out to an action worse than being in it. I thought of what I said very often the night we went out. I do not know what they wished to send the 6^th out for that night. All the men in camp went in the afternoon, and the four hundred who / went in the night had been at work all day, either shovelling or chopping logs, and tired and hungry they were marched 15 miles with the prospect of one or two days fighting. Very poor account of themselves I think they would have given, had they "gone in". I felt sort of desperate, and did not care what happened. There was certainly no fear in the case, but I wished we could hurry in and get into it, and have it over. I think that we were all disappointed that we did not have a brush. They tell us here that active operations will probably stop by the middle of November, on account of the roads. The weather here now, is very fine. Days very warm and clear, evenings cool, and towards morning cold. The dew is very heavy. I saw Charley Marston this morning, he is well, and looks hearty. The long sleeps we have here do us much good. I am very sorry to hear that Mrs. Tucker has lost her father, but for his sake, it seems to me for the best. I wrote her, or rather Mr. & Mrs. Tucker, last week. It was too bad that Chase came home, as he did, and spoilt all your fun. I hope that you will have a fine time at Hanover. Give my regards to all at the house, and others who may inquire. Say in your next, which I hope to receive soon, whether Wm. Bickford has any thing afoot. I hope that you take interest enough in the rising fortunes of the house of Bickford, to be glad to learn, that I have been appointed Acting Quartermaster of this Regiment, Lieut. Wise having advanced to Brigade Q.M. It brings me $18. dolls more a month, which is not bad to take, my pay will be $128.50 per mensum now. The place is not permanent for him, as the Brigade is provisional, and if

 

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the General does not get confirmed, Wise will come back to the 6^th as before and I shall be only Lieutenant. Let us hope it will be permanent. So far I have not had anything to do but sign papers. Please answer soon. Did Alice give you one of my photographs?

                                                                                               

Truly Your friend

Selwyn E Bickford

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