tell mother i got a letter from

her last night dated September 28^th

with two envalopes

 

Camp 1^st New Jersey Cave

Saturday Evening D^ec 17^th 1864

 

My Dear Wife

                        i am thinking of the plesent times we used to pass Saturday evenings in your fathers house i am now all alone in my log cabbin but it is a good one me and Williamson tents together i am very glad he is a poor tent mate and good one way all that is the matter is he is to slow for me but we get along bully he is on picket now went on yesterday i came off yesterday we have good times now that is we get plenty of rations such as it is but we have beens now and i am very fond of them to day we had inspection of tents and arms Major Robbins inspected us he reported to cornel Ganeway that this was the dirtiest squadron / in the rejiment some will not keep themselves decent and to night the Cornel said he would inspect us himself to morrow and if we was not clean he would not give a furlough this winter us officers was clean enuf but some will not be clean Robbins used to be captin in this Squadron and he does not like Company G and that is in our Squadron he is a mean man the boys says that night i wrote your last letter we started south to destroy railroad and so on we destroyed millions of dollars worth of propperty we burned pretter buildings than any around you a great deal prettier than mounts house burnt it right down evry thing in it pianoes beds and all turned the folks out dors in just such a night as we came from your aunt Amandas ice on the / trees a great deal worce so the trees broke with the weight of it us soldiers had to stand up by the fire all night and in the morning our cloths would stand alone the roads got so bad we had to return we was within two miles of North Carlina i have just comenced again we have been up to the Lieutenants to school i have got another stripe since i wrote your last letter wen we got in that night a colder night never blew evry thing was stif our blankets was like old cow hides so stif we had good lauf over them i am afraid i will not get home this winter i would like to eat some good sausage and mince pies but unless you send them i will not get them the boys gets boxes now i am glad you are all well i want you to send me some thread and some / silk one or two skeins i wish you was hear to fix my dress jaket and put stripes on the arm if you get a chance buy me a fine set of stripes yellow you know and three on a pice of cloth you can get them in town some were i am going to try my best to get to see you if i can this winter has not this year passed a way fast i will soon have my time served out then i will be home again i will try to get off on the excuse to rent you a place i wish you would send me a box for christmas if you send it right away it will get hear by that time i send mother a letter to night and you i wish you would send me some postage stamps i do want them so bad i have some letters to write that must have stamps on now good Bye with a good hug and kiss i have got evry thing you have sent good Bye

Direct To S^argt Henry H Covert

let me know if                         C^om I 1^st New Jersey

John Hustwaits has brought                            Cavelry

            my gun home

SOURCES