Fredericksburg May 14 [1863]

Dear Friend Hattie
your letter
reached me last Monday just
before we started for this place
was happy to hear from you
and to know you was enjoying
life. I should liked to been bin
there to gon to Lides party
firstrate I feal in hopes we
shal get home before long and
then make up for lost time. our
may day was a rainey one.
We wer 3 dayes coming here the first
two wer regulare July dayes hot
and dusty. Wednesday it commenced
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raining in the morning
and has rained untill this morning
I got wet through and havent
got forely [1] dry yet I got some
cold and my head aches and
feal about used up and feal
blue enough I can tell you but
will do the best I can writing.
we left 4 of our tents at Warrenton
so part of the men had to build
tents in the woods and spred
their talmers [2] over them. but
Gen Hartsuff says we must have
tents either the old ones or
new and I am glad for
they cannot expect us to stand
every thing nomore than a stone
drag. I feal to day just as
tho I wished there never was
a Me Cavelry. our send Lt.
has got promoted to Adjutant
he was the only Officer we had
the Capt is no better than a
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dead man he is going to get
his discharge and Boothbey [3]
has not go out here yet
and some think it is a
doubt if he does come at all
and the Orderly is as high as
he had aught to go so it
leaves us without any officers
as you might say.
About the old gipsy I should
thought you would let her
told you who you was going
to have so you could made
up your mind whether you
should like him or not
but as you say I donot believe
they can tell perhaps some times
they can [bit?] but not always.
I suppose you would like to know
what kind of a place Fredericksburg
is well I cannot tell for we
have not been across the river
yet it lookes like quite a place
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they say we are going across
to morrow but I donot know
how that is would a great
deal rather go the other way
and keep doing so untill we
get to Maine well I must leave
off and go and feed my old horse
Well we have been over in a
field and bated our horses the
clover is about a foot tall and blowing
out what would you say if 4 [or] five
hundred men should take as many
horses into your field and let them
eat eat what they wanted guess you would
think they had a rite smart lot of
cheak and would order them out at
double quick. they may order as much
as they ar a mind to it does no good
we generaly stay as long as we are
a mind to. there was a lot of our Co.
drove some cattle down True was
one of them the first nigh[t] they
got supper of an old sharper and breakfast
in the morning and one of them settled
he asked the old fellow what he asked
and he asked them two shilings a meal
well says Twombly (he was the one that
settled) I guess about one shiling will do
and handed him the money and that was
all he got. Oh Hat if I was at home I
could talk better than I can write it
is about time for roll call and I cannot
think of any more to writ. troops
keap coming in 4 [or] five Reg’s. have come in
to day I tell you where I should
like to be to night and that is up
[continued in left and top margins of page 1]
to Hat Walkers and she was playing on
the Piano dont you
think that would
be nice. and after
she got don playing
have a good chat.
I suppose Tim has
got home tell him
not to hug Mand
to hard ask him
for me to write
to a fellow and you
write soon for you
cannot tell how much
good it does a fellow
to hear from his friends
if you can read this
you will do well tell
Jo that Dan was swearing
well the other day becaus
his folks didnot write
to him. give my love
to all the folks good
night the bugle is blowing
and I must turn out to roll
call All