Camp of the Fourteenth N.J. Vols.

Near Culpepper, Virginia.

Wednesday, Oct 7^th 1863.

                                                                                                           

My Dear Mother

It is evening and I will write you a few lines in receipt to yours of the 4^th written last Sunday. I was very happy to hear from you again & very glad to hear you were around & able to attend Church. It is seldom that I smoke of late. I like to take a whif of a pipe once in a while. I hav'nt any pipes. you can send that by mail as there will be no difficulty. I remember the orderly received a pipe by mail when we were / laying at Camp Hooker but you can do as you think best. you want to know if I can't run home and stay nights. I might I suppose but its such a long walk and I dont get supper as a general thing before sun down and then it would be nine oclock or such a matter before I would get home, ha, ha. it is raining quite hard and has all appearances of a two or three days storm, but I cannot refrain from laughing all over my face to think how nice our shanty is rigged for the storm. we received orders this morning to this effect, that there would be no drill so that we might / prepare for a storm, so we just stirred our stumps & have a palace that a king might envy and too good for a soldier. but I can tell you we are just as comfortable as can be Mother, and as soon as this storm is over & God spares our lives and we dont move, we will put up a chimney & then our happiness will be complete. My health is first rate but I tell you I have had an enormous boil right on my knee cap. it came in a hurry & is leaving about as quick as it came. I put soap & sugar on it & it broke yesterday and is now almost healed. perhaps it was worth $5.00 but I rather think I would take $5.00 before another such, ha, ha.

 

O my how it is raining but wont I sleep sound tonight. I will lay & hear it spatter on the roof you know I always loved to hear it rain on the roof, but I never could lay awake to hear it long, ha, ha.

 

I can remember that flower now after you spoke of it, but I wouldn't have called it by name if I had studied a week, I would have named over every other flower but that. you wanted to know if the leaf is green when I got it it had begun to turn yellow, but the letter is scented well & it scents the whole tent. you spoke about my writing to Libbie, such is the case, but I will not do anything against your will for you have been a good mother to me and it is not my wish        (see 5^th Page) / to anything contrary to your wishes and I thank God that I am able in the [faded] to repay the kindness & love and tender care of my Mother I could not fully repay you Dear Mother but rest assured as long as your son liveth he will neither disgrace his name nor bring his Mother in sorrow to the Grave, and those that love not my Mother cannot love the son. Therefore the correspondence between Libbie & myself must cease. it causes some pain but perhaps it will die in time. I have loved her Mother that you are already aware, perhaps more than I can another. But never mind as good fish 

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in the sea as ever was caught. I have told you all and will abide by your counsel, and may Heaven help us.

 

            It has ceased raining and it is after Roll call the Boys have turned in. There is no news in camp of any importance and all is still quiet along our lines with no signs of a fight whatever. I dont hear anything from the Boys at the Hospital with the exception of the Orderly, he expects to be with the company in a short time. My love to you and John and any enquiring friends. Good night write soon. I close & remain yours

                                   

In Bonds of Relative Affection

Sergt. A C Harrison

Co. G

SOURCES