Camp Near   

                                                                                    Brandy Station Va

March 22^th 1864

 

Ever Dear Brother & Sister

I will scratch off a few lines to you once more to let you know that I am yet in the land of the living and am in good health and think now that I can stand the hardships of war the remainder of my 3 years unless the fatal bullet should meet me afor my weight now is 176 lbs. pretty good for a small hog but as Lucius yoused to say I am broad across the seat and hard to handle. but then I do not think that I shall get home much before my 3 years / are out but if I do that will be my own good luck.

 

I received your letter of the 10^th to night and was verry glad to hear from you once more I can assure you but I am sorry to hear that so much sickness prevails there yet. I hope you may escape it and the baby two for I allways thought it seemed to bad to have little children sick

 

            I suppose that Ellen Bemis is enjoying connubial bliss now is’nt she, and I do not think that she got married before she wanted wanted to do you! You kno wanted to know about matters in general here. we have had an excellent winter with but a little exception but to day is a verry rough and bad day, it is as bad a day as we have seen this winter but probably this is the / larst bad storm we shall have. we had a large game of ball played larst week Co. D. Chalenged the Regt and bet $50. (dollars) the challenge was accepted and Co. D. got whipe whipped the two first games so you see we have some fun as well as hardships, and we are in for anything that will make fun. My living is better this winter than it has been before since we have been out I do not stay in the Company but the Color Bearer & Commissary Sergt. & myself tent together and as he has to see to all the rations in the Regt he saves for us as much as he chooses and so we get more than they do in the Companys and so as a general thing we get all we want and that which is pretty good to for / Army living. I wish I could step in and take a good meal with you I would show you the way to put quite a quantity out of sight but you can see by my picture that I am not verry poor.

 

            I did leave off writting wrighting my larst letter in a hurry for we expected to march that night, for as good luck would have it we did not go but we have been called out once since then the bugle blew and we were in line all ready for a march in a verry few moments and the order was countermanded I do not think you can move as soon as that. and you see the way we live here we take our house on our backs goods & every thing, so you see we can stop and set up housekeeping anywhere / But when a man gets his whole rig on he has a big load but I do not intend to carry much this summer larst summer I did not carry any extra clothes all I had was what I wore and when they got dirty I would wash and either put them on or hang them on a bush untill they got dry, for there was no women to see a fellow if he did not have any clothes on, and the sun is so hot in summer they would dry in a short time. but a man must carry a shelter tent, rubber blanket and ought to a woolen, but can get along without it in the summer after the summer campaign there were but three or four woolen Blankets in my Company, but we done some verry hard marching larst / summer and all went as light as they could go it being so verry warm. but I guess this will do for this time. give my love to all, write soon please, and all the news, and I remain as ever your dear & affectionate

Brother Joseph

To Brother & Sister

                        Cooledge & Ursula

 

            Corp

            Joseph W Fletcher

            Color Guard

            10^th Vt Vol Regt

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