Feb 2 1862

 

            Dear whife agreable to promis in my last I will write again as soon as I was able I feel pretty smart today the weather is fine makes me feel better I send you this picture of our barracks our Regt are in the buildings in the back ground this is a faithful picture They have some collord ones I did not like them as well as these these cost 10 cts the collored ones 25 cts if I find a collord one to suit me I will send one I want you to preserve this to frame for fear I shall not get another We have got new rifles Austrian new coat new pants new caps & socks so you see unkle Sam looks out for us I got sick by being careless sweting and getting cold I did not sleep for four days the pain in my head and back was so great then I felt the need of pillows to lay my aching head upon and a soft feather bed to toss my weary body on however I have got through it bless / good Lord You said you could not understand about going to fort Prebble the story was here that we where going back there but tis all exploded now so tis not worth repeating. if we move at all twil be south I hope so I wrote your mother last night told her all the news am going down town tomorrow to see the sights shall tell you all about them I received thre Whigs for which I was glad you need not pay for evry one wrap two in one cent wraper snug they will come or three for two cents it is not the war news I want them for but the home news from Maine The Elder sends me some mostly times The Osgood I wrote you about getting up meetings in our tent is brother to Mrs Tompson the printer of the times whife that whaled Joe Bartlett we have nice prayer meetings I have not held forth yet have not got my voice to the methodist concert pich yet I made them a short stump speach bidding them welcome to homes and firesides I / being senior in command haveing the authority I am glad you got the money it will come regular now so you can depend on it I will send you what I can from my reserved fund I have got to have a tooth put in I broke it out eating hardbread at Augusta we have bread here just like our bakers bread at home we have got a big new stove capable of cooking for 100 men we mean to bake our own bread can make a saveing and have nice warm bread the stove we bout out of the compy fund save from extra rations we expect to save quite a lot of money in this way I hope so we do not draw such things we can do without such as salt beef coffee in part part of the soop and salt we do not draw for we do not need it all the gov. pays us money for all we do not draw so with our clothing

 

We draw fresh beef pork beans tea sugar rice potatoes and desacated vegatables that is vegatables cut up dried and preped so as to make them compact and light they go nice in a soop being all kind of vegatables

We expect to live in clover now shouldent wonder if you heard of doughnuts and flipers soon go it Calvin S Chapman cousin to Bills whife is here and roms with me he is a dentist learned his trade from Evens he is going to put my tooth in so it will not cost me much has his tools all here

 

The smal pox has all died out from amongst us it prevales in the citty among the Irish and negroes it is fatal to darkey his skins so thick they cant come out our boys have fun with the negro girls pretend to want kiss them tis amusing to se how comical they will rool up the white of the eye There is quite a lot of woman in our Regt officers wives Dan Sargents whife is out here with him you say Green has sent for his family they are fools if they go near him he has used the shamefully Emerson can tell all about him if you send anything write at the same time for twil be left down town at the express office and I shall have to send /

 

Tell Jenny I mean to send her something the first chance there is a man going direct to Bangor tomorrow if I had known it sooner I might have sent something nice I wish I could come home and stay a week to see you but cannot to much money write all the news in your letters We all expect to be home by next summer as soon as the roads become good the Army will move onto the enemy dont mind what the croakers say tis strange that men dont know any better than to go about telling such mornful stories among women who have husbands or sons in the army the women ought to take the broomstick to them

 

they are regular grannys haent got spunk enough to go to war but go around groaning for the women

 

I want to see Jenny so I do not know what to do how I thought of her while I was sick sickness is what will make a fellow think of home I would like to be at her examination to hear her speak a piece how them black eyes will sparkle give love to all tell Hannah to hop up and bite and bint to keep his nose clean and shoes tied up hows Al & Eliza and the beaus all right I suppose give respects to Benj & whife Unkle Young and all the neighbours tell them I will remember them for all the little favours they do for you and Jenny

 

                                                            Yours affectionately

                                                                                                Daniel West

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