Engineer Depot            Washington D C

                                                                                                                        Jan 10^th 1864

 

                        My Dear Agnes

                                                this beautiful sabbath morning I again seat mself to write my regular sabbath letter to which I hope to receive an answer very soon it seems so long since I have heard from you in truth it has been nearly a month or quite since I have had a letter but Dear Agnes I suppose you have reasons for not writing so I will not be cross with you but I want to hear from you very bad would much rather see you but as that is impossible please let me hear how you are prospering and how you enjoy your self I hope your Chrstimas was a merry one and your newyears a happy one I trust when this reaches you you may be happy and in good health and all of your friends and acquaintences. I am in good health as usual. have been out to the front since I last wrote you but could not get to see/my Brother as he was too far from the railroad I went out on thursday and returned yesterday. I was in charge of a car load of engineer property I tell you I had a cold trip and was glad to get back to Washington but the army in front have splendid quarters and seem to enjoy them selves finely but I prefer living where I am the weather here since the first has been very cold and is yet very cold about four oclock this morning I got froze out and the consequences was I had to get up and build a fire which you know is a pleasant duty in cold weather I received a letter from my Brother at home he is lumbering this winter and glories in this cold weather for it suits him I think I could glory in it if I were home and there was good sleighing but if not I would prefer the fire. the river here is frozen over so a person can run over it any where it has stoped the steam boats that were plying between here and Alexandria and no boats can leave the navy yard so you can judge we are in the sunny south on the north side nearly all of our/regiment have gone home that is all of the old original men who came out with us in 1861 but I can tell you of one who does not think much of selling out to Uncle Samuel so I am not going to reenlist if I live to serve out my three years I will have done my share and then I want to see Agnes Voris. do you know her my thoughts are now on home and friends and not on the war my patriotism is growing dim in some cases but yet I love my country. but I want to see others love as much then there would never have been any need of drafting or in fact of half so much misery and blood shed but as others whom I know are no better than I have been screened by the laws of a few men I am now tired let the rich man or the rich mans son come out and share the toil and dangers of a soldiers life and then I will be willing to return to the field and suffer with them but until such a law is passed I will stay at home if I get there I now close from your true lover

 

                        & Dear Agnes                         F C Miller

                                    my love to one and all write soon

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