Feb the 5 1863
Dear Father
I thought that I would
write a few lines to you to let
you no that I am well and so
is all the boys we are having
a cold snap here now we have
had 3 or 4 little flirts of snow
latly and it makes it seem
very cold I am glad to here that
you are all well at home I hurd
that the dipthery was a raging in
Naples and casco one of our sargents
Mr Hayet has lost 2 brothers and 3
sisters with it and so he has gon
home to see the rest It haint got
to be sickley out here yet the reg
never was in better health than they
are now we have got 90 men able to
do duty now in our Co is the largest one
in the reg we are still to work on
[page 2]
the fort I hurd that they said
that we was a goin to move but
we haint hurd any thing about it
we are in the same plase whare we
have bin we have got new guns but
that dont make out that we have
got to leave any sooner for we did
not have very good ones before
I hope any way that we shant have
to move ill spring for we have got
good baracks and the boys down front
have to suffer a good deal they have
got one foot of snow and in shelter
tents and have to lug their wod
a half mile O I tell you that you
dont no what it is to see hard
times thare was 3 or 4 that frose
to death so they said we ar about
60 miles from the front and we
here from them very often I had
a letter from Nat he is with his
reg now he said that they had
hard times and I guess it is so
[page 3]
O Gus Edwards has shot him self
through the finger with a pistol
he was a firing to a mark and he
went to pull a way a bush bettween
hin and his mark and he stunbled
and his pistle was cocked and it
went off and put the ball through
his fore finger but is doin well
Mother wanted me to wright and
let her now whether I got them postage
stamps I have got them all and
all the letters I guess and as for
my stockings they haint worn
out very bad yet and when they are
gon I can get enough I have got a
nou pair that I never had on O
how is it I hurd that they had got
to draft is it so if it is I am glad
that I come when I did for if nothing
hapens it will not be long before we
shall be home Vanburan Gilson has
come out here he is not very tough
but he thinks he can go it
[page 4]
Curtis is s[t]ill to the same place
whare he has bin I went to see hime
yestady I want to now how much
now you have got in Otisfield and
if you have to brake roads we dont
have to brake roads much out here
but we have mud enough I wish
that you could see some of the things
out here and go round and se the country
Uncle Lewis and George was out
here and staid 2 days and I sent some
things home by him and he will bring
them up he said he was a goin to Otis
I sent a cap box to you such a one as
I have to lug how does the little stars [1]
grow this winter and colt and have
you traded cattle lately and has
sewell got them oxen he had when
I was home I want to no about these
things for I haint seen but two oxe
teams since I left home that is all
I can think of good by write soon
you must not wory about me for I
am faring first rate for soldier and
fat give my love to all write as often
as you can from your son Elisha
[2] we get bread and feel beef any Quanity
of it and coffee and rice to eat
you need not send any thing to me
I will write when I want any thing