Nov 19^th 1862

Camp Parole Annapolis Md

 

Dear Parents.

                        I received your letter yesterday but was occupied all day in moving. We have closed up the camp nearer together and are fixing up our tents for winter we have not got any stores yet. But we have got a camp kettle with a hole punched in it for draft answers very well and the smoke goes out the hole in the top of the tent. It has been trying to rain for 2 days and I guess as it has commenced now that it will succeed and rain quite hard. I suppose by this time that you have seen me at home. how do you like the minature. I sent one to Nell without a vest on. We have been paid I bought a cap pair of shoes and some under clothes and some paper and some tobacco and so forth. I get all the papers you send also I got / that Ballous that you send me this week. Tell Hattie that she had better not wait for me if she has got so good a fellow as Geo. Coolidge he is an engineer. Does he work for the Fitchburg Co now. You need not believe any newspaper stories about our being exchanged for there is no truth in them. You persuade Nell to get her minature if there is any chance and send it to me will you. I have never had an answer to that letter I wrote to New York. Nor to the letter that I wrote to Uncle Nate at Harrisons Landing. I am situated in a camp ground as big as that field of Uncle Jesses on the left hand side of the road about a mile and a half from town. I shall you a book this week Well father [ink blot] that I have a clay pipe which I have had over a month and it is colored as black as your hat. 

 

Since I commenced this letter it has commenced raining like fury and promises fair to be a wet night. Well you are dry and comfortable so I dont care and I found out that the 19^th is at Warrenton Va with only 70 men and without quarters in two weeks time their will not be 25 men in it. If newspaper reports are true we have got Jackson in a good fix Burnside is six days nearer Richmond than most of Lees Army, but we have had him so many in just such a fix and he has escaped that its hard telling where he will go to now. But I wrote all I can think of now so good bye for this time. Ever your

                       

Affect Son

Geo H. Patch.

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