Camp Near City Point Va Dec 11th
Dear Father.
I now sit down to write a few lines
and to try to answer your letter which I recieved
yester day in due time was glad to here from yow
to know that yow are well and to know that thay
cannot draught you I am well at presant and
trying to enjoy my self and pass the time away
as best I can we have had a cold storm here for
a few days consisting of snow hail and rain there
is about three inches of frozen snow on the ground
at presant it is thowing to day it is bad geting
around I hardly think that there will be any inspection
to day on acount of the wether it is seldom that a
sunday passes with out an inspection but it is
time for winter here now and I guess that we shall have
it soon there is more or less fireing all along the lines
evry day we can here the gunns but no parlitculars
we dont get meny papers here now and we cant keep
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posted on the news as well as you can the nearer
the front we are the less war news we here thay have got
the [droch?] gap to working and thay have been sending
gun boats up there evry day as meny as thay can
there was a company of engenears in camp side of us thay
got marching orders and left last night in the
win thay probably want them to throw up some
brest works some place there has been an awful sight
of dirt thrown up in verginia and there will bee some
more of it in my opinion before this war is over
there big men in Washing ton dont want this war to stop
thay are makeing a big thing out of it and would just as
leaves run it a while longer as not But let them come
down here and try it a while and see how ancious thay
will be to carry on the war the north dont know any
thing about the war yet that is thay havent suffered
by being robed as the south has from our army loyal men
and all have to stond it If a farmer has got a good
cornfield and there is a drow of cattle comeing along thay have
stop and let them get something to eate I have seen some
poor men ficksed in that way when it made me feel bad
I wouldent help it but there is always evels in war
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There is any quantity of nigers down here thay
make tip top [teomers?] that male drives thay can everlasting
make a six mule teom scrach gravel I have seen some
of them have a mule hitched in to a little tip cart and
a man a woman in drive ing down to the pouit to
market thay had a pass I asked one if he wouldent
rather be a free man and he said that would not
but lots of them come in evry day men wemon and
children bore footed and half naked thay get abord
of a boat and go for Washing ton it is a quite a curiosity
to see a hundred of them in a drove half of them borefooted
and bare headed there [mally?] heads look kind of funy
there is a grait meny of them freed to what there was
a year ago there is some talk of our time being out a few
months short some talk that thay are goin to split the
difference with us but I dont plose any confidence in
that thay cant keep us but a little over ten months
any way this winter is the worse but we have got
prety good quarters and I have got a good pair of boots
I have had them some time but I guess that thay
will have to go thirs winter I have word out fore pair
of taps on then and thay will go fore more. Perhaps
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So you have got most of the work to do
alone this winter dont work two hard and dont
go to makeing meny improvements for the rebs
may go through there next sumer if I thought
that thay would do that I would go for a [netran?]
but I guess that there is no donger of ald grant
leting them get as much of a start as all that
comes to [is?] Wm liable to be draugh drafted
tell him to pay all the money that he con get
before he comes this talk soger at hhome side of a stove
is all well enough but when a felow comes to try
it it seomes a little different
Give my love to all
Yours in haste John. P. Campbell