Camp Mcclellan
March 21st 1863
Friend William
I recieved your kind letter
dated March 9th day before
yester day was glad to here from
you and should have answered
it before but I wrote father
a letter the next day after I
recieved yours I am well and
glad to know that you are the
same. it looks like winter
out here now there is about
three inches of snow on the
ground and it looks as if there
might be three more before long.
we have had verry strange wether
this winter. part of the time
snow and then rain and mud.
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up to your nees. it is a poor
place for gater boots. we have
just got twenty new men from
the 12th 13th Vermont Reg.
we are to get about thirty more
thay are going to fill up the
Battery out of the bridgade.
We havent drilled much
senc we come to this Camp
altho we have been a target shooting
quite often we have to go about
three quarter of a mile to watter
our horses twice a day. and
there is some funn once in a
while. the horses all feel pretty
well and if one jumps that
will set the hole line a dancing
meby when I come home
I will bring the ponies with
me and you might be the one
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that would feel cheap and want
to run in to the old well
house. in sted of me there aint
much skateing out here I havent
seen apiece of ice that I could stand
on but how ever I should
liked to been in town this
winter a day or two sow that I could tried that fast skater
you spoke about we are cutting
wood fore feet and ahalf long
to stockade the tents it is
a quite an improvement there
is six men detailed each day
to cut the wood. I was one of
them yester day. there isent
much signs of no moveing
a way from here verry soon
we are to gard the Station
with three reg of infentry
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the rebs have been all around
here but thay havent comm
acrost the rhode island
boys yet thay are good
what there is of them.
as the paddy said when
he rosted the robin.
but I must leve of jokeing
and writeing two

you must if you please
write soon
and my love to all the
folks tell Sissy that
she must write for I wrote
the last should like to here
from father two

Yours as ever
John Preston Campbell