Camp Dennison Feb 19th 1862
Dear Mit I received your letter in bed today but I
am not near dead yet I have just been making
a draw on that box with the paper tacked on the top,
as I did not get up to breakfast this morning. It is
raining here to day and the mud deeper than ever I
belive thare is no bottom to it if thare is I have no
desire to go down deep enough to find it. They have taken
the guards off to day as it is to bad for any human being
to wade through, and have it raining to boot we do not
have to stand guard from nine oclock at night untill
six in the morning which is quite an improvement
from standing all night in all kinds of weather. But
when we get down in Dixie Land we will have to go it
through thick and thin. But I am ready and willing
to go and I am anxish only waiting the order to
march, all I ask is to have my health and I am
just suited with a soldier life but I want to take
a more active part than we are at present in the
cause of our country The Capture of fort Donnelson
has broken the back of seceshdom and the probabilty
is that the war will not last long unless England
takes a notionthat she wants thrashingand if
she does we are ready to give it to her with a grace
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different reports evry day in the week and, I
am sory to say there is some that blieve every thing
they hear and write it hom, and their friends are
disapointed of course when they do not come home
we may be disbanded but it is time enough
to write when we know it for certain I wont
believe any thing I hear If old Jesus Christ
was to come here and tell me any thing about this
regiment I would not believe him Diana you
must content yourself to not see me for an uncertain
length of time and do not worry yourself about
me for I will try and take care of myself so as to get
home and see you in three years, if it should not be my
lot to tast cold lead before I will not die anyhow
untill my time comes and I might die as soon at home as
here I am not particular where you stay whether
at John R. Fell’sor at Dicks but stay where you
are welcome or else pack up and hunt new quarters
Diana you spoke about working out again in you
letter now let me tell you once for all you are not
going to do it with my consent, while I live for when
you do you have heard from Bine for the last time
now you know my terms and you can do as you
think best. I hope I may get my money before
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I write you again so I can send it to you for I
know you must kneed it by this time. I have got
all the stamp you sent me you must not rob your
self to send them to me for I have got two dimes
left yet I did not have money enough to buy the
freight on that box the charge was $1.85 I paid
a dollar and Riley the rest but I dont begrudge
the money if they did steal it from us if they
can live with it I can die without it, and three other
boys was out last sundy and sniped.. a pig we shot it
and skind it and brought it up in a bag the boys flocked
around us and wanted to know what we had we told
them it was a coon it was a rather large one though
we expected to get in the Calabouse but we did not
we gave the Captain a quarter of the porker, one of
the boys caught a catfish in Miamma River that wayed
six bounds he killed it under the ice I wish I had a fish
hook here I think I could get some fish. Thursday 20th
we had a dance last night I dance in the blace
of a lady every time since I have been here Diana
if we should be disbanded do not look for me to come
home with the rest for I have no home to go to. And
then you will not be disappointed if I do not come
I would like to see you all but that is all the good
it would do me to go back thare for I have
nothing thare to do to get a living while here I get
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my board and cloths, there is chances to enlist
here in the fift Cavalry and they have their horsees
and equipments and will soon go in to the field
of action And there is chances in the Artillery they
will move before long so in either case I can get
into something more exciting than camp life There
was three Regiments of infantry left this camp last
Monday and one Regiment from Columbus and one
Regiment passed throug here last night all of them
bound for Dixieland there will some body get
hurt down thare before long There is onley two Regiments
here now and two batterys of Artillery We drew our
blousers this week (they are a loose Round about)
We set down for to eat for the first time in this
camp last week it was very awkward at first
but we soon got use to it Jim Ormsby has been a
little unwell and as home sick as any use of and
that is the reason that he sent for money to go home
with There is four of our boys in the hospital and
four gone home on furlough, three sick in the
Barrack two of them have the putrid sore throat
and one with the typhoid fever I had a letter from
Dillon Duer stating that George Hall was going to be
discharged as he was burst he did not say how it was
done, they are bout in the 41st Regiment the boys are all
flocking around to see a man going to camp [Card?] they say
I kneed killing for making sutch things it may be [ture?]
your letters are not opend here but if we were down
South they would be and ours would be read before they was
put in to the office tell Maria that she need not be alarmed
about get up out of her warm place for me for some time yet
tell Charley to write as soon as he is a mind to I wrote to him and
him not to write till he heard from me again for we had some
signs of leaving here when I wrote to him but the cloud has
come back over us again From your Affectionate husband Bine
To Mit Diana Amelia Rutledge Fell