Arlington heights
Dec the 16 1862
Dear Father I now take my
pen in hand to rite a few lines
to you to let you no how I am
I have bin sick but I am smart
now onley I have got cold but
the old Dr looks out for me the
bys are all well that came from
Otis but simon soribner he is
not very well but is so to be
around with us thare is a good
many sick in this reg now thare
was a man died last night in
the hospitle and it would made
your hart ache to here him
groan O I tell you that you dont
no any thing about ware till
you try it thare has 5 or 6 died
out of our reg within a week or
2 and I have seen any quanity of
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2
old soldiers and they will tell some
hard stories and I have seen a
good many that have had their
lages cut of[f] and armes and wounded
in most evry way and they are having
a very grate battle about 60 miles
from here and they have taken
all the regs but ourn and marched
them down thare I supose that the
17 is in it but dont no Curtis was
here yestady he and Nat Warren
staid all night Nat haint got
over his lameness yet and I
am a frade he wont rite away his
lage swells up so that he hast to
go with a cain but he is a goin to
his reg the first chance he gets
Curt looks fat and tough but
he haint tough enough to go to
the reg yet he comes over to see
me 3 or 4 times a week and I guess
he and Nat will be here tomorow
he and Nat is in the hosiptle whare
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3
the men go that is out of helth
and can stur round he says it
is a good place thare all he has to
do is to lug his wood to burn
we have had a rather easy time
of it so far and I have bin very
well contented so far I haint bin
home sick yet Curt got a letter
from home night before last
I have run a cross a good many
Otis boys since I have bin here
I wish you could come out here and
see the country it has bin warm
here for the last week so that
we did not have to keep a very large
fire we haint had but a litle snow
here yet but it has bin very mudy
thare has a train of cars gon down
front to take of[f] the ded and wounded
they are having hot work thare I tell
you they say that they fetched 5 hondred
wounded in Washington yestaday and
thare is 5 thousand more wounded
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4 but I hope that this will be settled
up before long our reg has had to
go to Washington twise to bury
Genrals and they had to march down
through George town and it was
about 20 miles and the next time
they had to go about 15 miles and
they was tired boys you better belive
this va mud haint much like the
mud in Otis Webster Wight was here
yestady we have got the barockes
fixed up in good shape now they are
warme the bottom of my bed is
made of red oak staves thare is a
good deal of it here here thare is
hundred ackers [t]hat the soldiers
have cut flat and burnt the
stumps is as thick as they was in
Mr Lombards rick thare is 5 or 6
forts around us forte Richand and
Crage and fort telingham we
haint more than a half mile from
them we have a chance to see a good
deal we ar in camp rite on the
rode whare thare is a good deal
passing I guess I will finish on
the next sheat
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5
I have seen a good many droves
of catle that would reach from our
house to Mr lombards and I saw a
drove to Washington that would
[cavey?] our orchard over and I should
liked to picked you out a six ox
team thare was any quanity of
steers from 2 to 4 that was never
yoked and horses it seemes that
thare is no end to them and the
worst looking old things that
I ever see hald [b?]ack a load Elbridge
Wight drives a amblance wagon
they like him very well I have bin
very lucky about my clothes I haint
tore them yet and my money has
held out very well I have got 6 dollars
and a half now but the rest of
the boys haint got any hardly
but they dont no that I have
got any and so I get along very
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6
well O how does Mr Adames
get along with his steers and
has Isac go well and so on
and how is the folks goin to Get
through the wintter for hay have
you broke the steers any and has
Alf ketched any foxes this winter
and how much snow have you got
now I wish that I could come home
and go to meeting sunday for I
haint seen a sunday since I have
bin here the days are all alike
here but I hope that the time
will come when we shall all
meet on earth and enjoy these
things but we cant tell when that
will be but I try to do some whare
near right but I often get out of the
way but I hope for the best I
must close give my love to all
write soon from your son E
Turner rember me at the
prayer alter so good by