Camp of the Fourteenth N. J. Vol^s

Green Wood Farm Fauquir C^o. Virginia

            Sabbath Morning Sep^t 13^th 1863

 

Dear Mother,

                        I must now take up my pen and scribble you a few lines to assure you by the blessing of God I am enjoying good health earnestly hoping these few lines may find you and John in the same enjoyment.

 

Inspection is over and I have mounted my Guard so I will have nothing to do until Dress Parade this afternoon. I think we will have church this afternoon. I imagine I can see you preparing for church this morning /

 

            Well Mother there is no news in camp of any importance If should wait until I heard anything new, I would not write very often, I assure you But I have a little to write that may be new to you.

 

David Twiford is on Provost Guard and has been on guard at a house some two mile from camp ever since we have been here and where do you think it is. you are no doubt unaware that Judge Barkley took his first wife from Virginia. well it is at his wife's daughters, Mrs Rob^t Ashton and when they found that David knew something about Judge, you can imagine they were highly tickled / so Dave told them there was a Serg^t in his company that knew more about him than he did, so when Dave came to camp again he brought an invitation from Mr & Mrs Ashton for me to call the very first opportunity, so as they have three or four daughters you can imagine that I did go, ha, ha. so I night about a week since I started of and reached the house, and had a long talk with the family concerning old Judge and his young wife of which they knew nothing about as they had heard nothing from him since the Rebellion broke out / They wanted to know if Bill Allen was as fast a boy as ever. I told them he was a pretty fast chap & also that he was married. I was very much pleased with my visit and with many thanks for my visit I returned to camp again. they told me to come often but I havn't been since as one of his daughters is sick they would talk me to death if I went very often, ha, ha. They would come mighty slim for provisions if it wasn't for our Army. they have one son in the Union Army and one in the Rebel ranks. The old Lady painted him out to me, in case I ever fell in contact with him but I dont think I would talk with him. /

 

Directions Same

 

I would much rather talk with the daughters. They are pretty good looking girls. Their slaves have all run away and they are in the midst of misery for they have no crops whatever, only a few vegetables in the garden. the night I was there the old man said he had just flour enough for breakfast so you see they just live from hand to mouth. I tell you Mother the people North dont know what suffering is, when the farmers come to loose all their cattle, tear down their fences & burn them, then have their houses searched / and everything in the shape of eatables taken from them, they can begin to realize what suffering there is in Virginia. But such is war's desolation. There are better days coming let us look ahead and look not behind us remember Lots wife.

 

            We have received four or five new recruits in the Regiment but none in our Company.

 

            But I believe I have turned out all the news I can think of, so I will close for this time.

 

May God bless you all. write Soon & remember me to all In Bonds of Love

                                                                                   

I remain your Son Albert.

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