1^st Mich. Cavalry.

                                                                                                            Camp Broadhead

                                                                        Fredrick City.              Maryland Dec 22. 61

 

                                                                                                                        Dear Father

I recieved your letter of the 11 inst. in due time. I beg pardon for not writing oftener but I do not have much time to write we have to drill all the time and I tell you its devlish cold to get up at half past four in the morning and go to work in the open air cleaning horses when they are all cleaned and fed we have to ride about two miles for water by the time we get back breakfast is ready a cup of /

 

per day then we have to go on battalion drill from nine till twelve and from two till four the farmers come to see our regiment drill for five miles arround I tell you what our reg^t is a big thing here but we have got a louse for a Colonel our company all stacked their arms the other day and opned his eyes for him he layes in his tent drunk two thirds of the time and he never has been on drill with us in the World if you hear anybody enquire about him tell them he will never return to Detroit unless he goes home in a box feet foremost. He wont leave the camp now after / dark without taking a company for guard he knows he will catch hell if he is ever found alone after dark a soldier is as good as a Colonel out side the camp in the dark he never details guard from our company thats all we want. I expect we will move from here before long that is the first battallion we are to have a general review on Tuesday but unless the weather changes we will have nothing we have had beautiful weather ever since I wrote you last until I commenced writing this evening now the sleet is falling fast and its pretty cold we have nothing but our small tents and do not think we will have anything else this winter. the farmers say we will have a cold time of it after Christmas the winter commences here about this time I should judge it had commenced now by the way the sleet falls on the tent I dred the morning. I went to the Exprs office yesterday to see if our box had arrived but it was not here and they were so accomodating I had to write to Washington after it myself I told them what I thought their buisness was and came away I do not know whether it is directed to me individually or not or to the regiment if it / is directed to the regiment it will probily come here without writing but I was not sure also in a great hurry for the box so I wrot the Ag^t a letter I think we will get it before long and God knows it will be most thankfully recieved both by Frank and myself. Frank is on guard to night he is about a mile and a half from camp with six men he will have a bully time out doors in this storm. They call this the enimies country but it’s the best place we have been in yet when Frank and I get sick of camp fare we will saddle our horses and steal out of camp and ride up to some farm house and order dinner for two its all right never charg a cent they say we have come a good ways to fight their battles they will do anything for us. well Father I shall have to close for the present remember us to all and tell them if we ever get in comfortable quarters I will write them a letter I am writing to night all bundled up with blankets and warming my fingers over the candle I have got the chill blains like fury my health has been good all the time with the exception of a cold I have a severe cold on my lungs at present otherwise I am well. Good Bye

 

                                                                        From your Son W^m H Wheeler

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