Mr. Mapes.      Gang

                        Carpenters

Alexanderia Va.
March 24^th 1865

 

                                                                                                            Dear Parents

again I am found seated for the purpose of adressing you with a short line. I shall have to say I am in altogather different circumstances much different Employment and situated about 10 or 11 miles farther South & across the Potomack this Evening than I was when you last heard from me. You will now find in parusing these few lines oer that I am at my old trade. that is Carpenter & Joiner's work I came here yesterday worked some yesterday and some to day / My shoulder I see & feell this evening to be quite lame but it has got to get youst to these things. I am employed by the Government and put into the Construction Corps. I am verry highly pleased with our rations we live first rate have Butter evory meal also bread & meat coffe & milk in it Beans Baked pepper sauce & vinegar O we live on the top shelf if I do say it—

 

My notion in comeing was because I could get biger wages here than where I was. I onley got $30# & Board where I was and here I am happy to say I get much better Board and $62# per month / I should have bin home the first of next month if I couldent have done better than I was doing. I should have had a good place at washington if Mr Manley had bin there long I should have got a good place there but he isent there and hasent bin but 4 or 5 days since I came back. But I am agoing to stick to Dixie a little while longer long as I can get 62 Sixtey Two Dollars per month & found or boarded it will pay. I have to buy my own tools have bought part of a kit which costs me 15#$ I wish Em or Rome was / here with me the work is all kinds of Government work. I will now say I havent heard from the box yet your last that I recieved was dated 12 of this month we had a hericane here yesterday. Something equal to that at waverly. I saw and felt all I cared to it blowed off the top of a foundry & it snuck top of a hack killed the driver & both horses snached them all to pieces it blowed a boy off of high steps on to pavement brake his leg. it tiped over a scooner with her sales all up & ducked 6 or 8 men in the Potomack. Pen cant give you a specimen of the scene twas horrid this I saw. I will close hoping to hear from you soon I shall go to Washington next week to see about the box

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