Newport News virginia oct
22nd [1863]
Dear wife
i will now Pen you a few Lines
to Let you know that am well
and hope that you and the
Children are the Same you
have got my other Letter that i
wrote here Before this time and
i Shall Expect an answer By
tuo morrow we get the Baltimore
Papers every day So you See that we
Can keep well posted on the
news things are a good deal different
here than in North Carolina it Seems
more Like home we Can Live Like
kings here we Can get oysters almost
for nothing and Such oysters i tel
you they are Splendid we have a
Plenty of vegetables to eat i wish
that you had Some of these nice
[Page 2]
oysters to eat well it Seems that
gen Rosecrans has Been Released of his
Command what for we dont
know But then the government knows
Best gen grant now Commands
the whole South western department
and gen Thomas Commands the Army
of the Cumberland Bun Burnside is doing
well in his department he Says
that tennasee is Loyal to
Back Bone everybody Likes Burney
he has Friends every where i See
that gen Hooker is out west
with an Army and So the
President has called for three
hundred thousand volunteers good
i am glad of it and i hope that
they will Come Right along and
i think they will the old
Bay State will have to furnish
fifteen thousand and i hope
that they will Come Right along
[Page 3]
we expect a great Battle in virginia
gen Meade is after Lee with a
hot Stick i think that Lee will
have a hard Job to foil Meade
much Both Armys have Been
Reduced to Send men to the
west night Before Last our
Brigade was under marching orders
to Be Ready at daylight to
Embark with three days Cooked
Raitions and Seven in Bulk and
then the talk was where are
we a going But we have found
out Since washington was our
destination But as Soon as it
was found out that Lee was
Retreating Back the order was
Countramandded and i tell you
that we want Sorry for the
Regt is not in any good order
yet well Since we have Been
here we have Lost [two?] of the
[Page 4]
the Company By death
Mr John Tozier of ipwich and
Charles wheeler of Holiston
Tozier died of congestive fever
he was only Sick But a
day or two the company
buried him yesterday with
all the milatery honers
he was a good and True Soldier
and we miss him as we
would miss one of our family
young wheeler was drowned
By falling over Board from
a Steamboat on Roanoke
Sound in the night and they
Could not get him well
i will Close give Love to
all kiss the Children from
your Husband
Joseph Barlow