Camp on Queens Farm March 22/62

 

Dear Kate. I received your letter this afternoon and was glad to hear from you. our regiment are still encamped on the old ground and I was very much afraid that we would be away before I heard from you again we are making every preparation for moveing away from here and there is a report that when we are marched on the advance that we will not be allowed to write any letters for fear of any of the movements of the army being made known to the newspapers, but I guess it is only a report I am very glad to hear that you all keep well and I hope that you may continue to have good health / as long as I am away from you it makes me feel very uneasy when I do not hear from you for several days for I always think that some of you are sick As long as I feel satisfied that you and the children are doing well and in good health I do not care how hard I have it myself. I have got pretty well hardened to soldiering by this time and do not mind a stormy night or two on duty I have been very fortunate for I have had hardly any sickness since I have been away from home and the boys say that there is no danger as long as I can eat my fat pork and salt horse with as good an appetite as I have now the doctors are discharging every man in the regiment that is not fit for marching and from / that I think when we do move from this place that they will keep us on the march all the time. I am in hopes that our regiment will be paid off before that we march. I would be glad if we were so I could send it to you for when we go further south it may be a long time before they will pay us in case we do not get paid you must do the best you can untill we do and I can send it to you which I will do as soon as I get it for I know that you may have use for it before you get it but I hope not. We have had some very hard weather for the last ten days and this afternoon we had a heavy hail storm and it is raining right smart now. tell the children that I think of them very often and would be glad to see them / and yourself again if it was only for an hour tell them they must be good boys or else they will never make good soldiers and some of these days when I come home I will drill them and tell them all about the war and about Washington and all the rest of the places that we go to. Give my best respects to your father and mother and the rest of the folks and tell Ben Jones that he had better go soldiering than to stay about the city and starve for my part I would rather take the chances of lead and steel than stay about Philadelphia without any thing to do. give my respects to Mr and Mrs Welsh and all the rest and write to me soon and direct your letter the same as before

 

No more at present but I still remain

                                                           

Yours

Tom

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