Thursday 23
Burlington May 23 1862

My Dear Wife
It is with pleasure that
I now take this opportunity of writing you
a few lines to let you know that I am well
& hope these few lines will find you the
same Well we have now got fairly into
the enemies country we left
Wheeling Tuesday & got to New Creek Wednesday
about five Oclock PM stayed there till this Morning
we then got ready to go to Franklin where
Gen Freemonts Head quarters now are
we are incamped for the night about
14 miles from New Creek & have 70 or 75
miles farther to go to get to Franklin
we came to New creek on the cars &
are going the rest of the way on horse
back to Franklin you probably heard
[page 2]
about the rebles driving Freemonts army
back Well our Forces had to fall back about
Forty miles to Franklin but there has been
lots of reinforcements sent to Franklin
& there is a battle expected there evry day
we are pretty raw yet to go into battle
but if we are in it we will do the best
we can & that is all any body can do
the men would do well though but our
horses are verry wild for cavaley we
have not had them more than a week I
have got a verry nice jentle horse now
he is a black pony I traided the big one
I had & got him & I like him first rait
& if he & I live to the end of this War I
could not think of leaving him I think
evry thing of him now & I dont know what
or how much I will think of him by the
time I have had him three or four
months but then you needent be jelous
& think because I think so much of
my Pony I wont love you as well it
[page 3]
as if the farther I got from Friends at
home the more I loved them but I will
have to wait now till I get a chance before
I can get home to see them but then I hope
that will not be verry long for for I hope
this war will be closed before long & I guess
the People here mostly hope so to the people
in the north are well off to what they
are here & I hope they will never know what
it is to have war in thiere owne land bye
experience as these people so
It was verry hilly and mountainous all the
way from Wheeling here & we are incamped
in a vallie now right in the
mountains Ill tell you what I think I
dont think Western Virginia is worth
fighting for if it is all like what I have
seen but then that is not what we are
fighting for & I am glad it aint
Henry Canfield left new Creek a few hours
after we did & he said capt Bowes company
had just got there when he left they lost
four or five horses coming by the car door
Breaking & the horses jumped out & one
of them is killed & they did not get the
rest well I must stop writing for
it is late & I am tired & sleepy so good
bye for this time From your affectionate husband
write soon Thos M Covert
[page 4]
Well I have made a mistake
on this letter but I have not time to write
another you can read it I guess for all it
is wrote so bade
Direct your letters to
Wheeling as I told you before
to follow the regt
T M C
I got those curants Apple butter & Dried Apples [1]
& peaches we had some of the curants for supper
they went first rait & the pickels are good
I thank you verry much for the things you
sent T M C