Newport News, Virginia,

Feb 15^th 1863.

 

            Brother and Sister,

                                                Once more I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines in answer to yours of the 2^nd, which I recd yesterday. Yours found me well, and may this find you the same.

 

            Yesterday was the first mail we have had in five days, ever since we started from fredricksburg. I recd seven letters yesterday, two from South Creek. the folks are all well.

 

            We are now encamped within a mile of the place that we were on when we were here last summer, on the bank of the James River, which is from 3 to 5 miles wide. Yesterday was a busy day here, all hands were at work building houses, and today being Sunday there is not much going on. Some of the men are to work and some are playing ball. /

 

Cap^t Hills time is up today, there will be two more Officers start for home as soon as the two get back that are away now. I think that my time will come in the course of two months. I had a furlough wrote out yesterday for one of our Company. there will be one man from every Company. I think they will start tomorrow on a ten day furlough. you spoke of Tet Plumbys man being dead. why I did not know that she was married.

 

            Well, I cant write to day at all, so I guess I had better wait till some day when I can write. Please write soon, direct to Newport news, Va

                                                                                               

I will write some to Margaret on the other part of this sheet. I remain as ever,

your Brother Lieu^t W^m Chase.

            to G. W. & M. Kennedy,

                        Stony Fork

                                    Penn^a.

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