Fairax Station Jan 24th [1863]
Dear father
I sit down to inform you that
the Batry has been on a march
for the last two days we marched
22 miles we recieved marching
orders last tuesday morning
to be redy to march that night
or the next morning about 12
oclock in the night it begun to
rain and stoped raining fryday
morning we got redy to go at
eleven ocloock wednesday took
evry thing and started we
marched that day till five oclock
the stoped side of a house
and barn put our pieces in
the field and we streched the
picket rope in a grove tied the
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horses to it fed them and rubed
them down put a gard over
them twelve men fore on
a relief it rained verry hard
the rest of we went in to the
house and barn I took my
blankets and went in to the
barn and slept all night like
a brick I wasent any wet onley
my ruber blanket at five ocloock
the bugler came in and bloed
revelee and waked ous all up
we went down where the horses
wer fed them rubed them down
and got some nise warm
coffee and bred for breakfast
started again the road was verry
hilly and mudy the houses
from one mile apart to
three I saw all along the road
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where brest works had been
thrown up we reached fairfax
cort house about five thursday
evning that is a little village
we had to go three miles further
in the morning stoped in a hou
se it looked like a nise house
but the famly had gon the boys
made good fires in the rooms
and slept confertable I was
on gard that night we stayed
in a little red house the gard
did we maid a good fire got
a little ketle out of the
bagage wagon and maid
coffee as much as we wanted
it rained prety hard in the
morning we got redy and
started for fair fax station
which was three miles and
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such a road I never saw it
was maid of poles and mud
the mud was so deep that if
the poles hadent been there
we couldent got a long no way
we got to the station about ten
ocloock it is a verry prety
Camp groun the railroad
goes past ous withen 30 rods
we pitched our tents and
got them quite nise before
night there is a good deal of wood
here the wether was bad but
we all liked the march and
dident get verry tired the Captain
says that likley we may not
move fore 2 or 3 months again
Please write soon you might
send me a few postage stamps
when you write Direct to
J P Campbell Co H R. I. Light
Arty Washington D C So good by