Henry H. Covert to Lucinda Van Pelt, 18 March 1864
Saturday March 18th 1864
Camp Warington
Dear Wife
i recived a very welcome letter from you the day befor yesterday i was on picket for the first time wen i recived it they sergent brings the letters out on the post for us wen we are not in camp the post was extended out one mile farther than on the day before wich made it more dangerous for the picket the pickets is about three hundred yards apart in the day time but at night they are drawed in and are about 75 yards apart i was on post only 6 hours in the 24 wich we have to stay on the inside post 3 of the boys was fired on that night but no one was hit they never hit in the night it is to dark but the boys fired seven or eight shots you ought to hear the offecer sing out fall in boys on the baricade on the reserve post i was on that at that time i looked at my carbine i felt you so that their would be no trubel of its going off i had a horse and pistol / some of the non comishined offercers went out to see wat they was firing at but it was nothing but a bottle of whiskey they fired to signel the boys to come for the whiskey i have had no wiskey since i came and want none as for gambling i never shall there is a great deal of it going on hear you must not think that i shall get in any more bad habets i have got anough of them i recived a letter from father on the same day that i recived yours but i opened yours first i wish you would keep an acount of all the letters i send you you must go and see smith and his wife and viset around for that will keep the blues off of you i want you to take care of your self and i you to send me word in evry letter that you write how much money you have got evry time and not forget it i have sent you five letters and only got two from you i shall send in this letter twenty dollars and i shall put no stamp on it so they will think i am poor i am going to wright to father and sarah if i do not they will think that i think / more of one than the other so i send them all one i sent pool one and him and sarah both sent me one betwen them i would like to see them all but o my how i would like to see you but i will see you soon you asked me how the time passed with me i will tell you to day i said i guess i will send my wife a letter the last of the week and the boys said you will have to hury wy said I wat day do you think it is said they about wednesday said i saturday saith they i would not believe it but pulled out my almanack and loe it was so time flies very swift hear you will never see it fly so swift all the time going on night and day only wen your asleep the time passes very long wen we are on guard we are all alone then you know if you think as often about me as i do about you you will never forget tell me in your next how many beaus you have had aredy that letter that you got from brunswick i sent along with John Carmans father he was down to trenton evry day and i thought it would be safe if i had sent it from trenton it would never / have reached you i get along very well hear i have not got sick and i think i will never get sick i live good very good feed very been soup at noon and coofy for tey and brexfast i have got your papers made out for you to draw your state pay if i get it sined i will send it in this if not soon i have got you a very nice watch for you may be you will get it as soon as you get this also my duguarytipe and them you sent me i guess the ladies will not get them the wimen that is around hear is not worth a dugarytipe we do not sleep with our clothes on only our pants all our noncomished offacers are dutch i do not like them not all of them any how see if you can not send me more letters that needel book is uesed evry day i would not take 50 dollars for it that is true i thought one day that i had lost it but i run round like a hen with its head cut off i thought that it was gone but it was in my pocket if any one says any thing about you take no saus of any one but leve them dont let any one impoes on you try and keep gellert if you can tie him up if no one els will keep him let my father keep him and you pay the tax from you ever loving Husband H H Covert
7716
DATABASE CONTENT
(7716) | DL0245.009 | 107 | Letters | 1864-03-18 |
Tags: Alcohol, Clothing, Fighting, Food, Gender Relations, Mail, Money, Picket Duty
People - Records: 2
- (2720) [writer] ~ Covert, Henry H.
- (2721) [recipient] ~ Van Pelt, Lucinda ~ Covert, Lucinda
Places - Records: 1
- (73) [origination] ~ Warrenton, Fauquier County, Virginia
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SOURCES
Henry H. Covert to Lucinda Van Pelt, 18 March 1864, DL0245.009, Nau Collection