Camp of the Fourteenth N.J. Vols

Near Catletts Station, Virginia

Tuesday Oct. 27^th/63

           

Dearest Mother

With pleasure I take up my pen this afternoon to answer yours of the 23^rd received by me yesterday and very happy I was to hear from you once again, to hear that you were quite well, as this leaves me well & in jovial spirits. Well Mother when last I wrote we were at Catlett Station & now we are about two mile from there, expecting to move at any moment. when I wrote last I spoke I think of our Brigade being encamped in a splendid place. well yesterday about sunrise we / we were leaving those good quarters, marching about half a mile or three quarters of a mile from there our Brigade halted, expected to move on, until about two oclock in the afternoon. I made up my mind we were going to lay there all night so Foster, G. White, Hartshorn & myself went at work & stuck up our shelter tent & had things comfortable once more. we had just turned in when the order came to pack up & move of immediately, so our anticipated good nights sleep was played & in less than 10 minutes our shelters were down & everything packed & of we went. then our whole Division was on the move / we came along by the camp of the 1^st Division & they were ready to move, so I made up my mind that there was an all nights march on hand, but after tripping along for about two mile I was agreeably disappointed by seeing the old Colonel ride down the line and order the men to close up in four ranks. then came the welcome command to halt (fix bayonets) stack arms & rest. so we laid ourselved down & slept. were routed out this morning at day light, got our breakfast & expected to move right off but it is now nearly sunset & no move yet. the boys have all got their tents up again but how long we will stay / it is hard to tell. we may lay here two or three days & we may be off in fifteen minutes. The sky is overcast & I shouldn't wonder the least if we had a few flakes of snow before tomorrow morning, for it is very cold. it froze ice last night I am sitting before my tent by the fire, writing. the Boys are running with wood & in fine spirits. I would much rather see this kind of weather than to have it so warm. it makes us lively as crickets.

 

            Then Massy was pleased with her visit to Grandma's & with the place. Just send some of your carpet rags down to me I think I might sew a ball for you in the course of two months, ha, ha. The lock of hair looks natural Mother, you must not worry Mother when I tell you of our hard marches for it is nothing more than can be expected of a soldiers life & if it doesn't worry me you need not for if I was out / of my time today, I should enlist again. remember our Fore Fathers, how they suffered for the cause of Freedom. must we not fight manfully with the help of the most High God to maintain it (Yes). In God is my strength & my strong defence in Him let us ever look. He will supply our wants & bind up the wounded spirit. you want to know what we do with our things when we are on the the march. well Mother they are not carried in waggons I'll assure you, as our shoulders are broad enough to carry all we have to carry. we take our house & grub on our backs, in our / knapsacks & haversacks. I think if I dont hurry up with my letter I will be covered with ashes. There comes Eseck he sends his love. he is still on guard at the ammunition train. I must ass answer one more of your questions. you want to know what we do with the Rebs after we capture them. why treat them as prisoners of War, send them off to the nearest Prison, Fort Delaware for instance, until they can be exchanged or paroled and now I must close or I will be to late for the mail, so I close with love to you & John & remember me to any who may enquire. write soon. May Heaven bless you in my prayers you are ever remembered

                                               

Good night. Albert C

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