Hunters Chapel Feb 22 1863

Dear Father

I am here to a place that you was
never to I guess. and I hope that you will never see it
in the way that I am. the weather is stormy here to day
yesterday was pleasent and last night it commence to
snow and this morning it is about 8 inches deep, and
the weather is cold and [stormy?] about all of the time
we have got a stove in our tent now so it is prety
comfortable, it is probable that we shall not stay here
a great while the report is that we go to washington
to morrow, this is a pretty place and it is good land
for grass it is low and loamy. I should think
that it would cut about 3 ton of hay to the acre
the folks around here say that it does. all the
troble their is in this place is the wood is about 1 mile
off and if we have a fire we have got to get the
wood, their is about 1 hundred acres of wood been
cut of[f] by our soldiers, and you can see the stumps
a mile their are stumps as high as 6 feet and some
of them are to 4 feet hight. the wood is oak and
pine. the boys the other day went and tore down
a man barn to fix up our quarters, but the
Colonol would not let us bring it on to the ground
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he said it was all foolishness to fix up our quarters
any now as we should not stay here any more than
a few day. form where we are in camp you can see
about 8 forts and, the smallest on is 1 half of
a mile around it. and they all mount about
30 thirty guns, and two or three Mortars to
throw shell with and their is about 8 thousand
of infantry around them . the 11 Rhode Island
Regt. is about 1 mile from us a guarding the
convalescent camp of soldiers their is about 10
to 200, discharge their a day, and as many
more brought their have you sold all of your boards
yet. how many shingles have you sawed. does George
Arnold have all of the sawing that he wants to a
do this winter. how many shingles have you got out
for yourself. have other folks brought in much stuff
have you got the old oxen yet. did you kill the old
black cow last fall. has willie left yet for his Regt.
does Ben. Richmond hear from his son very often
tell Ward. that Horace thayr is in this company
and wants you to tell him that he s[y?] that he had
rather be to home a helping hime build his barn than
to be out here in the army and I think that he
had. I should but I must come to a close by saying
sone I am a going to send a letter for abbie in this letter
Edwin A Lane

[1] Mr. Allen D Lane

[added in top left corner of page 1]
give my love to all tell them
to write, write soon and tell
me all of the news Edgar sends
his love to you he is not very
well he has got a cold and a
bad one it is to