Near Fredrickburg Va Jan 1st
Deare Wife 1863
I will sit down to
Write to anser your Letter I received
to day yow say the Herald says the 35 co
Has but 300 men that is fit for duty
I. Hardly think it has that there is
Some that do duty that are not abble fit
And some do no duty I think are fit
But Play of. we have Got but few
Officers but there is no head or tail
To our regt. or ever has ben. yow spak
Sepak about Capt Pratt he sepakes to us
thhe saine as ever ask after our health
you ask about Rockeynot berny
he Loves to be Poping around the
Capts Ar[ea?] noes most of eny us Could
be out of it there is a Geart Chance
to skedadled if we wer a mind
To. before we Got to the Battle feild
Aand if we have another Battle
I think it will be inhuman slauGhter
for the Rebe Got Pits and entrenchments
all along the river
[page 2]
[Writing in top margin]
We have much Salt Prork as we want
We have to Cook it ourselfs. somtimes
They Boil it we eat it in vinegar
sometimes make Coffee sometime
They doint
we have salt Pork fresh Aeat abu
Abut twice a week Ric[e] twice
Beans about the same that all
I must Close for my Candle
Is most Gone as is the firs of Jan
I C[l]oes by wishing you a
Happy New year, Good night
_________________________
1863 Jan 3 I have not had time to finish
this leter be fore we had a Brigade drill
yesterday a fine to. I have just ben
to dinnir had flippers Good to
had spider Cake yesterday I bought
Flour 7 cts lb I Got ten cts worth
I had three Godd meals. my yest
Powders Come handy. we Git up morings
the Bugel Bloes half Past 6 oclock we have to
Ansur our name much half hour before sun
Rise. there is such a frost the Grond Looks
liks snow it is not bery Cold heare. we
Wash. we do not wash very often warter
Is so scarse we have to Go half a mile
[page 3]
I hav tl talked with Good many
And they say they will not Cross
The rive[r] aGhian I doint I say Shant
But you will no how to take it
I doint beleive they will tryet aGhain
We hav not Got Armey enough
To take the City. the Larst was a
Reglar skedadled and no me[s]thak[e]
We all Came across in the night you
Ask how we Could Lay So Long in one
Position it was bery hard some few
Venturd to Creep dwon where the
Dead Bodys was (for we Lay Close
to them our men for the bebs would
Let us Git them but they was Burred the
Next day I bleive) Git dwon on
there nees and warter but I.
I did not Git up at all I Could
Scarsely walk. it was nearly three
Miles to our Camp I had to Giv
out tow or three us Lay dwon on the
[page 4]
Ground roled up in our blankets
In the open Air about 12 oclock
I Should think I do not no ho[w] Long
We Lay but was awaked by some
One saying I.am Going to the regt.
I unrolled myself and it rained
I Packed up and started Poking
Sliping along when we Got ther
they said it was 6 oclock it stoped
Raining soon After. they had som
Beans Baked which had not Got
Cold which tasted Good you
Ai[n?]t think. we had enough witle
to eat such as it was salt Pork
hard tack Coffee. how Could
you Eat if yo[u] had to Lay so Close
I eat to or three hard tack I. was
Abt worked up much them little
Balls droped all arounds us and
Big ones to But that seige Gun
Of the Rebs went of[f] it mad[e] us
Jump
[page 5]
After warter rush to Git it
at that we Git a mes Pan of the
Cooks wash our shirt Boil it in Salt
to keep of[f] the Bugs. tarnarl job I tell you
We Go to Bed at nights just as it happers
Sometines we Go Bed at 7. Sometines at 9
Sometimes we Lay Cold Sometines warm
We have the Maill Every day I expected
Have a Letter From you to day to where
You had Got that money Francis says
he they ha[ve] Got his. I soppoes you have
Got yours
Otis wants me to rite
for him you Can send a Billit by school
Children tehat he is well and is
Very thankfull to hear from her and
to hear that they are all well he
received her letter Jan 2d and would
Like to hear from her aGain and rite
the Particulars about the faimly and the
News. wants his farther to send
him some Apples there are so high
heare 5 to 10 cts apeice fif his Wife sends a
[page 6]
Box to send him a Peice of
Cheas She wants to no if he
Lays warm he says he Lays warm
As you As May expect by Laying
under a sheat tent and on Boughs
Sometime he Lays warm Sometimes he
doint but has to Git up and Go to
the fire. he received the Bundle
by the Capt. and wishes the Children
to be Good Boys and wishes them
All Good by and Good health
happy New yeare Oists Blanchard

I. Wish you a happy New
yeare and all the Children Pull
Alty Eare once fore me
Writ often
Good by James Pratt

B kiss them All for me