Camp Winfield Scott 186

Yorktown april 25^th 1862

 

Dear father and mother sister and brothers I am well and hope these few lines will find you the same I received your letter last night and was glad to hear from you it was dated april 10^th it being the second letter I have had from you I am glad to hear that you are going to get married i would like to be there to the wedding. tell david and Laura that I wish them mutch joy I supose that Sam catches lots of fish now tell him that he must rite how fishing is We was out on picket the night before last and we catched one rebel and took / one prisiner the rebels came out at night and they played dixeys land and in a few days right up to the handle old Jeff davis and Johnson are there at Yorktown I supose they will fight like dogs we half to drill four hours a day you sayed you would send me some postage stamps if y i wanted them I wish you would fore they are getting pretty scarce here I have not got only this one and dont now weather I can get anny more or not we are a going to git our pay this week I guess and I will send it home and you can youse it if you want to we had biled rice and molases for supper last night and we are a going to have beans for dinner to day horace foot is to the hospital to fortress monroe and Jefison / kelster is provose gard to pick up the straglers tell Phebe that she must rite and let me now how thay all are I would rite to her but I have not got anny more postage stamps but I have got plenty paper we are in about one mild from york town but I dont think we will fight anny be fore the moth of may we expected to have a great fight abought two weeks ago and we got ready to go and and fight but we did not go the way we are make roads and bridges are not slow thay have five or six rigiments out to work at a time but I have been pretty lucky I have not had to go out only once and stand on gard but once so I think i have been pretty lucky / we have got new tents and we sleep like fighting cocks I and Tom and Jim Holliester buncks to geather tell charley that I would like to get have that shugar to eat but tell him that he can eat that him to eat it him self and it will do me just as mutch good it was one month yester day since I left home but it does not seem vary long the time passes off pretty fast you must rite oftener becaus I have not had but two letters I have rote eight home give my respects to all no more at preasant

from James S Russel

            to hannah C Russel

            Utica   Macomb county

            Mishigan

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