Davids Mills Virginia

Wednesday May 6^th/63

           

Friend Euphemia

                                    Several weeks have passed since I wrote last to you without receiving an answer, but I presume your health will not admit of your writing. I should be very happy to hear from you. there is nothing in the land of Dixie that would give me half the pleasure that a letter from you would. However I hope you will not write untill you can do so without the least danger of its proving an injury to your health and if you donot get discouraged, I have no doubt that time will come very soon. I presume you are aware that our company has been ordered away from fort Norfolk and have been stationed at Davids Mills with companies A, E, F, and H of our regiment. The Mill is situated at the head of the Western branch of the Elizabeth river about half way between Norfolk and / Suffolk. The place is not as pleasant as the one we left, but we are all in good health and spirits and we donot feel the change very much. Your Brother, Mr. Readfield Mr. Miles and myself have built a small house for ourselves since we arived here. We have very comfortable quarters for soldiers since moving in our new house but there is nothing very eligent about it. If the rebels do not come back to Suffolk I presume we will not stay here very long. I saw some sketches of our regiments camp a few days since and bought two to send to my sisters. I also bought one for you, thinking perhaps you might take some intrest in seeing how the camp is situated, where our regiment have been since the middle of October. I sent them all to Mrs Rhodes, as it was more convenient to send them together, and requested her to send you one. When you are able to write please inform me if you received it. The house on the extreem right is the guard house, and the one next to it is a house built by the / sutler. the one among the large oak trees is used as a hospital, and the house in the back ground on the right is a dwelling standing on the opposite side of Paradise creek. the house near the flag staff is the Colonels head quarters, and the other buildings are log cabins built by the soldiers to live in, rather than live in the tents. The tents are the Sibley tents, and are raised up several feet above the ground and banked up with earth below the tents. The pine woods in the back ground is nearly one forth of a mile from the camp and extends nearly around it, but is nearest at this point. There was no buildings in the camp when our regiment arived there from Suffolk last fall, except the one used as a hospital. The weather is quite cool here for this season of the year, and vegitation seems to be nearly as backward here this year as it generally is in the state of New York.

 

I intend to go to Norfolk tomorrow and will endeavor to send you a number of the / Norfolk paper. however there seems to be very little in them that is not printed in Northern papers. I am on picket duty tonight about one mile from the camp and as I have a very inconvenient place to write, and a poor light I will bring my letter to a close, hoping this may find you as it leaves me, enjoying good health. I think of you very often, and my best wishes are ever yours. Allow me to subscribe myself your sincere friend

Russell F. Wright

 

To Miss Euphemia O. Gillet

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