Camp 13^th Regt N.H. Vols

Near Portsmouth V^a

Jan 17^th /64

 

Dear Ari:

                        I received your letter of the 10^th last Friday and was glad to hear that you were haveing such good times down to Boston. I hope there will nothing happen to spoil your enjoyment. I am well as usual. I have just come from meetting a man preached that belongs to Exeter N.H. it was Elder Moses, Mary Moses Father, you know him I suppose. Capt. Bettons Wife and his Mother is here thay came yesterday and last night our band come down and played in front of the Capt^s quarters. I wished then that you was here for thay do play splended. it made me think of home but Ari this is no place for a woman, for we cant tell what / is going to happen in an hours time. I will tell you this morning, every thing was quiet as could be, and in ten minutes it was all hurrah boys. the 16^th Ct Regt was off to Newbern N.C. and our Regt had to go out on picket (I did not have to go) so you see that the women cant feel very nice when thay think there is any danger in the way, it makes their eyes stick out some times I tell you. well thay must keep away if thay dont want to see their husbands start of under light marching orders for that meens a fight.

 

I have just come in from a short walk. Oh Ari! the weather is so pleasant here to day it is as warm as summer and firstrate rate walking although it is some muddy in the middle of the road. it is just such weather as we have in April at home 

 

You remember about that presant of a pipe that one of the subs gave me dont you, his name is W^m H. Gray. well the other night our Major sent down for me to come up to his tent. thinks I there is something up by his sending for me, so up I goes and the major says I want you to take some men and go up to the division trane and arrest W^m H. Gray. so I took two men with me and went up and arrested him and brought him down to camp and put him in the gard house. it was about ¾ of a mile to go and it snowed and rained like the D—l and we had to go through the woods to get him. my Capt lent me his sword so I didnt have to cary a musket. I thought it was funy for me to have to arrest a man that had just made me a presant it is just as I have told you if / there is a dirty job to do I have to do it, well I am good for it. my Capt said to me the next morning Steve, I knew that you did not want to go up there last night but there was not another D—med Corpl in the Co that I daired to trust to go, it was so dark, for fear thay would lose the prisoner. I thought he put a great deal of confidence in me. Gray was arrested for picking a fellows pocket of 75 dollars but thay could not prove that he did, so thay let him go after he had been in the gard house about one hour, and he come up and sleept with me all night. dont you see that is the way I get around them after I arrest them.

 

Oh! by jolly now I have got to write another sheet of paper for I have just received yours and Cads letters. Gray is in here and says if I will go up to his tent he will give me a plug of tobacco, and I am going and finish after I come back. I have been and got my tobacco. I am always in luck some how or other for I had not one bitt of tobacco. Good night, S.B.T.

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