Head Quarters Company "G" 84^th Regm^t P.V

Camp Near Brandy Station Va.

January the 11^th 1864

 

            Friend George

                                                Your letter of the 6^th inst was received yesterday evening & read with interest. I will certainly excuse you for not answering sooner, as you no doubt have been so much taken with your Son that you hardly thought of a Soldier for a few days at least. I am glad to hear that you are all well. As to my health generally it is good. Yet I am about 85 years old & appear to be getting older every day.

 

You say the draft did not come off. I do not think it will. I believe the quota will be made up by volunteers, & particularly as the destricts get credit for all men now in the service who reenlist & have served two years. In my opinion it is not right it is men we want & we have those already & by crediting the destricts with those men we do not increase the Army. Perhaps the Administration thinks we have men enough. I cannot see it, it is true the reenlisting will have a good effect showing that men are determined to put down this reblion / & it will also have the effect of discouraging the enemy to hear that so many old troops, whose term of service would expire in the spring, are reenlisting for three years more. You speak of the troops at the garrison being comfotably situated. I have no objection in seeing Soldiers comfotable, even if we do not fare so well. But one thing I will say if such places must be kept up, why not take troops who have been in the front since the war commenced & are nearly worn out & place them in garrisons & let those who have never seen a Reble come to try their hand. But so it is a Soldier is bound to complain. I will go as long as I can & then stop. it appears as though a man in the front was bound to stay no matter what his circumstances are. it is true I have not asked to be relieved neither do I want to be, unless my health should be such that I would be unable to do field duty, & even then a man would hardly know what course to pursue, as there are orders prohibiting almost any thing in the way of getting home when sick. I have had to stop writing & hunt up some old Company records for the Adjt's Office. I hardly know what I have said & hardly know that I can interest you much. /

 

I learned from Joes letter that Levi had shot a Turkey I suppose it is costing him considerable sole leather this winter. You of course tried your hand this winter, but were like I used to be got nothing. we have little turkeys hear but cannot get out to hunt them.Then again we have another kind of game hear that are not very hard to find when we hunt for them. yet they are pretty hard to catch even when we do find where they keep. I have been out hunting about as often as I care about after that kind of game. Yet I suppose we will have to try it again in the spring if not before.

 

You say Brownawell is at home which I am glad to hear. he says he has 15 days but can stay longer I cannot see the point as the boys say. I think the same order governs that Corps that does those in front & I can assure you he will have to give an account of the days he stays over his time. I suppose Elias will not get through his talk in fifteen days.

 

As to my getting home I will make no promises yet I may come soon & perhaps not at all. I think furloughs for enlisted men in the field is played out this winter. As to my visit last March I did not think it would of had the effect on you that it had. You no doubt immagined you had been from home 6 months & of course was glad to see your wife / you might of perhaps laid the whole blame on me but you almanac does not correspond with mine so you will have to take all the blame as you no doubt had the game. I must stop you need not make this public it is rather out of place.

 

One of the boys of Co H just came in from choping wood. he caught one raccoon one possum 2 fox squirrels & 1 grey squirrel. there is any amount of squirrels hear. I will stop for this time hoping you are enjoying yourself sleighing. we have a little snow hear now. Good day hoping you all enjoy good health

 

                                                            May God Bless us all is the Prayer of your

                                                                                    Friend John. P. Brindle

 

NB as to the closing of my letter

I am rather careless & sometimes

do not get through writing, I just stop

 

Tuesday Morning nothing new still pretty cold at night. freezing very hard, pleasant during the day thawed some yesterday. Joe had a letter from home yesterday. his children are still poorly. I see from a late order that enlisted men can get home in cases of necesity I do not know but Joes case would be one of them.

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