Camp of the 1^st NY Dragoons April 6^th 1864

 

Dear Sarah

                        As I have a little leasure I thought I would sit down and write a fiew words to you. I am well and I hope these fiew lines will find my loved famelly the same. we have had a long rain and snow storm of nearly one weak, but much to our joy it has cleared of and is quite warm this after noon. I have not been out but a part of one day since the rain commenced. have I not been luckey. You know when I was at home I was quite a hand to mend my socks and other things. well I have not got over it yet I keep my own cloths all/ mended up, and the boys keep me a taking out the pockets on the sides of theyr pants and putting them in on frunt streight accrost. if I had a flat iron I could make them look as good as a woman could. the boys tell me I would make a good taillor, and is it not handy to know how to do my own sewing, Cooking, washing and any thing else that a woman can. (only have you know what) I keep the needle Book you maid made for me, and the pins ar in the end just as you put them, and Charly keeps the one Jo made and gave him. I have the same little round Ink bottle I got at Portage. I mean to fech it home with me if I have the good luck to go home. we/ draw flowar and there is a mill clost by so we take the corn our horses will not eat and have it ground, so we have pancakes every day. I had some boild beans for dinnar. we get them raw, so we can cook them just as we like.

 

            I did not finnish my letter to you yestarday, so I will write sum more but I shall not send it out to day unless I get one from you to night. I am on Camp guard to day, the first time I have been on in nearly two weaks. the story now is that we ar a going sum time this month down near whear we wer all last Summar to guard the Railroad this Summar. I hope we will/ do not you, for we have been up here in the frunt doing such heavy Picket duty that our horses ar nearly all whipped out and it would be right for us to go back whear it will be easy for our horses and our selves. there ar lots of our new recruites sick, but it was just so with us when we first came out. but we have becom useto the climate, and use to being out and laying on the cold ground and so it does not affect us much of any now. we can see by them how we wer at first, but I will not write any more untill the mail cumes in good by for now Dear Sarah/

 

You say that you hurd there was a battle out here. well I suppose it is so. about two weeks ago the rebs drove our pickets in they advanced with in a mile and a half of Suffolk untill they came to our signal tree. they clim up the ladder to the to top and looked through theyr spy glas, but to theyr gread disappointment found Suffolk so strongly fortified that they gave the attack up. we have this from some rebs that desurted and came in to our men. there has been four or five skurmishes out sid. the rebs planted a battery of 6 guns down on the river in a fort to provent our boats coming up, so one night three thousand of our men commanded by a captain crossed the river above the fort. they captain went arround behind them so still that they was/ not obsurved attall after they had don that. the captain took 12 men and approached the enterance of fort still and as they wer amost up they rushed in a hollowing and hooting as lowed as they could and the other three thousand a following them in the same way. the rebs see it was of no yous to do any thing so they all gave up. so our men capturd 156 rebs 6 cannon and some amonition. there has been as many as three hundred of the rebs captured by our men. the rebs ar the most of them on the south sid of Suffolk. our regiment is on the north west sid where the least danger is we have our tents out there and do our cooking there, so we ar as safe there as 20 miles away. I have not seen 5 rebs yet. I expect we shall stay out her untill they leave. if they wer to work 6 months/ to get suffolk they would not have it any nearer than now. the thing of it is they may as well give up one time as well as an other. so Dear Wife do not worry about me for I bet you I will be behind the fence if there is any fuss, but I must end for this time give my love to all of of our folks tell Edwin to write to me and all of them where is Augusta now. answor soon as you can and tell me all of the nuse you can think of remember me as your ever true and beloved husband this is from your old boy

 

Sarah & Luie                           Albert R Whitney/

 

Good Mornning Dear Sarah, this mornning finds me well, and I hope you and Luie ar the same. it is warm and pleaset this mornning but not vary warm. I am detailed to go on picket on Cedre Mountain. the Bugal has blowed for us to go, so I must end for this time. take good cair of your self and Luie and remmember me in your prayrs good by for this time. I am ever your true Husband

                                                            Albert R Whitney

Sarah & Luie

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