Newport News Va.

                                                                                                            Christmas 1863.

 

            My dear Mamie

                                    I wish you a merry Christmas. I have received two letters from you since I wrote you last I suppose by this time you are in Conn. We are still at this place & I hope shall stay till Spring It is quite pleasant here to day rather cold Last night was a cold night I dreamed of you & home & such a funny dream I dreamed that R.I. had sececed & Congdon’s folk Lois & Isiah by name, living directly across the river had a twenty four pounder cannon with which they were throwing shot & shell across the river in a great maner I thought I got you and mother behind the chimney & there you were safe but I though if any one happened to show themselves they were sure to have that old cannon pointed at them I woke up before the fierce/combat closed & had to laugh at my dream. I have been at a loos to day thinking which must have commanded the Battery Lois or Isiah but hoping that such a dreadfull event as the secession of R.I. will never take place so as to cause a war on the “Border” I close about that. Furloughs are granted pretty freely now another left from our Co. to day Corp Fish the one I wrote about his wifes being out here I should think he would want go home Bill Coats came back full of life.

 

 * * * Evening To day has been considerable exciting In the Regt below us the 23^rd Mass they had two foot races & a Burlesque Dress Parade about all the Regt came out on the Dress Parade Dressed in all manner of styles the officers had on Shoulder Straps a foot long The first Sergts when they gave in their reports made more fun than all the rest. Their usual report is Co. G. or whatever Co. it may be “All present or accounted for”/But these said first “Co. A. 2 officers after Whiskey one drunk & the rest here” “Co. B all present or ought to be” “Co. C. (1/2) home on Furlough & the rest here” & so on through the whole line But the Drum Band beat all The Drum Major was full 7 feet high & then he had on hat about 3 feet high & you can judge whether he looked tall or not Alltogether it was the best Bulesque I ever saw Sergt Bassett’s father is here came last night he is just home from California has got about an hundred dollars worth of the “Yaller stuff” with him. Bill Coats brought the news that North Stonington was filling her quota with “Niggers” Oh the cowards Rant. Kenyon has got his shoulder staps on I suppose D A Randall is going to wear a Pair of 2^nd Lts over biggers I am glad of that it’s the only way he could ever get any My darling I have been thinking of you and home more than usual to day. How I wish I was there to night a rather sleepless night I reckon. How happy we would be. John looks forward with impatience to the time when he can get married on account/of expected happiness how much more impatient ought I to be (knowing from experience how happy man & wife spend married life together.) for this war to close, John had a letter from Nell to day says if he wants to know how married life passes he must try it himself by the way I believe that is the same question he asked you in private at Norwich & I got so mad about it How foolish I used to be I am different now That Green Eyed monster shall never mar our happiness if I ever live to get home. Think not though that I have changed my belief in regard to the virtue of the most of you sex But I know there are some (virtuos ones) and my darling is one of them. I want you to write me in your next when your birth day is I must close Give my love to mother My kind regards to father Lewis tell him I recd the paper would be thankfull for more Narragansetts will write him before long. All my love to you except what you can lend to mother You know how it would make me feel to have her think that I had none for her Your loving husband

                                                                                                            Court G. Stanton

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