Camp Near Falmouth Va

Jan. 28^th 1863

 

Dear Friends

Dear Father Mother Brother & Sister

Once more I sit down to direct you my Adress. as I have not had any oppertunity in some time but will end war to write the last transactions. to start on I will say I have had a Terrible headache for the past 5 days untill day before yesterday then I came on Picket & had a hard time of it on the account of the storm. I will mearly mention a word about it alltho I will say you cannot & perhaps will not realize the 32 hours which was a tuffer on us Pickets. it commenced snowing in the morning before we started & it did not stop untill the next morning about 5 oclock the snow fell from 14 to 18 inches & we got out there the was not even a tree to get behind. we had no wood to make a fire of excepting a little brush & wet stix as big as your finger & scarce at that to comfort us. talk about hard times. we could stood the storm through the day if we could had the fire at night with a warm supper & bed. but a man at hom thinks he can not work a stormy day with his 3 good meals meat potatoes & bred some had nuthing to eat while they wer out or had hard tacks but it stormed so & wer wet & about froze to death so they could not eat them if they had it but / I got a chance about dark to go up to G. Wiants tent some ½ or ¾ of a mile & make a cup of coffee I warm up but could not stay long enough to take off my shoes & dry my feet had to go on Post at 12 oclock at night & stand till we wer relieved about 12 the morning not a cole or blaze of fire were we alowed on Post the Boys feet freezing & hands for that matter. I did not get a chance to eat or drink a mouthfull from the night before until I got back to Camp the next day about 2 oclock well I had a small apetite. If I had bin at home I guess Dad would say I want you to go a visiting the next time you get so hungry for another such a meal will send us to mill & it is bad going but I made out as I had a dinner ready which Bill & Rogers had ready for me. well guess I will say no more about that the weather & going is bad at present going is verry bad indeed Bill is in good health also Rogers & Crane we take comfort here when the is no duty on hand to do but some of us is on Picket or gard all the time so the is but 3 of us here more than ½ of the time our Captain has got back his name is Warren Wright came up from a Private, altho I guess he will do pretty wel as the is but a handful of us left. Tell Em that Gen Howard / Mag Gen. he had an arm shot of when leading our Brigade into the Battle of Fairoaks. you will see all the changes of Gen. & conserning the Army before you get this so I will not mention quite all I understand about it we think our Army will go to Destructions for the want of Propper Officers & we can say safe enough that it has all ready the isent another Mag Gen. in the Union that can handle the Army of the Potomac as Mag. Gen. McClelon. Neithor can Burnside get the Cheers & Roll of the drums that old Union Mack could when he ust to ride along our lines. Bill has just bin a reading a Reb letter which was takin from som Confedrat Paper & I think & well know that it is about the truth they told about it just as it hapend it speaks of the Irish Division that went Colwels Handcocks Division & he speaks of our bravery to his troops while our Papers run right the other way but read the piece & look into it & see how they talk. it tells the truth about the Gen.s riding along our lines they could see what we had got on hand & before us. I dont beleive our Army of the Potomac will ever show out so much bravery again as they did there. I sat behind the brick house with a painful side when Butterfields men came up just to the left of us to make a charge & could / not. Oh the could not any one emagine the sound & flashing from the mussle of the Guns. the sound of the musket drownded the artilery so it came a flat sound Boom Boom Boom O the is no youse of trying to mention it from 40 to 50 feet apart stood Uncle Sams brave men face to face with the Enamy & with the greatest of fury & speed cutting each other doan. It was a terrible looking place & field. Men wer shot to pieces in all shapes & ways & the ground coverd so thick with dead & wounded that they could not moove a piece of Artillery without cutting men into with the wheels &c. &c. & yet at home I often hear you spak of hard times. a Sailor can quit if he does not like the wiage & a Soldier can fight if he dont like the first one there is 2 points to that scale & you can look at the point that is the heaviest. Well I shall haft to say a word about the Boots as Lockridge has shown his ASS. if you have not sent any you need not I have wore out 2 pair of shoes since the Battle at Fredrick & went with wet feet ½ the time at that. at this rate it will cost me 25 or $30 for shoes what is 7 Dls to the side of a mans life. if the Boots is worth any thing I wanted them I capt writeing about it so you would have a good pair now you will get a pair that isent good for any thing & send which I dont want. I am mad about it You knew the saw when I want a shirt done up & it wasent. But I see a man cannot do just as he is a mind to now you need not send the box nor boots. I am well & hope you the same

 

Good Bye From Ephraim

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