Jan ^the 1 1863

 

army of the potomac Sumners Corpse hancock Division Sooks Brigade and Burnsides grand army Corpse Dear Parents it is with the greatest pleasure that i sit doun to Let you no that we are all well at this present we halve got our house very near done all but the Chimley and dobin / and we are not agoing to finish it i guess for we halve had marching orders for 3 or 4 days but are still here we was musterd in for pay yesterday but we halve not got any pay yet and it dont make any diference wether we get it or not for we cant by any thing here and we halve got as much as we want to carry but if we had some to baco we could cary it we dont Chew any here we take it all out in smokeing in our shanty we dont smoke our pipe but when we want asmoke we go in our shanty and it smoks / anough i seen John Woods here and Joshy Bell and charly Carter lays about 4 miles from us doun at the rite wing of the army we are in the right wing of the army of the Potomac if we moove from here we will go to washington or else on to richmond some of them say they are making up a fleet to go out some where and think we will go with it the paper sais that Seegal has got whiped in the last fight when you send a letter send some postage stamps for we cant get any here we halve paper /

the Green County boys is well we halve bin laying on our arms ever since we halve bin here but they are not agoing to atack this plase in front any more for the men wont fight but they say that they will go any plase else there has to be something done be fore long for the 2 years and 9 months mens time will be out be fore long and that will take the bigest part of the army and there wil be none left well imust Close for the present

 

G W Carter     Direct Washington city

 

[second sheet, center: diagram of battle deployment with notations]

The posision of the reble forces

 

Fredricburg, the end, the rebbles intrenchments, road along the river, the hill, our batries, union Camps /

the hill, the Rebbles extend back on the hill agreate wayes

 

these are there batries and we can never take them in frunt and the men say that they wont fight /

 

the Canon are plase ed between the blocks and the Rapahanic river is Just about like tenmile at Lenerds mill where i seen it i did not see all of fredricksburg but i just marked it out as fas as iseen it the men is all dissadisfyed with this last battle and say that they wont fight any more unless they make an atackt in some other plase and then they will do there best some of our boys was on Picket yesterday and said the rebbles was as lively /

                                                                                                            George W Carter

 

it and in Joy ing Cristmus as well as if they was at home while our boys was laying in there tents and i halve seen a nough to sadisfy me that we can never whip them as long as we live and if it was not for the name of the thing i would be at home before long if they dont except this compromise the troops aut to come home they Just want to take there nigers from them and what are they agoing to do with them they halve no plase to put them

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