I wish you a happy new
year
Jan the 1. 1863
Arlington heights
Dear Father it is with
pleasure that I write a few lines
to you to let you no that I am
well and I hope that these few
lines will find you the same
we have had a very pleasant
time here so far we have had
2 snow storms but they did not
last long we haint had much
rain yet it has bin quite warm
here it seams more like fall than
like wintter we was about 60 miles
from that fight that they had it
was a large battle I hurd that
Wm Lombard was shot in that battle
they say that they had a skurmish
with the rebels about 17 miles from
us but I dont no whether it is so
or not the 17th reg was in that fight
I had a letter from Charles sanborn
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he said that the balls flew all
around him and they had 2 men
shot and 25 wounded but Charles
said that the Otisfield and Harison
boys got out and did not get a scratch
Curtis and Nat is in the converlance [1]
camp they was here and and staid all day
yestady Curt is here with me
half of the time their camp is one
mile from ourn he has bin thare
some time we have some good times
here if you see Mr Warren you tell
him that Nat is smart all but his
leg swells some Curt got his box
but it was rather old the old box
looked good to him the pies was all
that he had to throw by I had a
taste of it thare was a fire in
Washington last night it was the
theater and thare was 2 women
burnt in it i saw it and it
looked hard although I was some
way from it we have prayer
[page 3]
meetings evry night and sundays
we have good times and enjoy our
selves the Lord haint forgot us yet
for thare has a good many started
in this good way and I hope that
they will hold out to the end
I hope that we shall all meat
on earth again I saw a baloon
the other day it was hitched
with a rope and they was a taking
the news down but they was some
way of[f] I supose that they had a
telagraft wire hitched to it and
went to the ground and thare is
most evry thing in this show
I have seen more fiting implents
implements than you could get
into our 10 acure field it may
seem to be a large story to you but
it is so I tell you a fellow has
a chance to see a few things in
this show thare is a good many
forts all around us I wish you
[page 4]
could come out here and stay a
week or to and see the country
I saw a man ploughing the last
day of Dec with a span of horces
so you can tell about what you
should think of the wether I never
saw such a wintter we still guard
long bridge and I hope we shall
all the time for it is a rather
easy chance to what a good many
have I feel to prase God for sparing
my life and keeping me in good
helth most of the time I have got
so I am about as fat as I was before
I was sick I was sick 3 or 4 weeks
but got quite smart now I was
glad to here from home I got 8
letters one night last week I have
bin lucky and I have got $5 dollars
and a half now when I get hungry
and so I by some stuff to eat
but the boys are marster hard up for
money I thought I had seen hard
times but I never did before I mean
for money so good by rite soon
Elisha Turner