[1] [Company] D

Washington december 11th [186]2
Dear wife
I will once more write to
you, we left to Cockeysville on tuesday
and left came to Baltimore where
we stayed till last evening
we then got on the cars and
came to this place this morning
at about three o clock and
to start for Fredricksburg
this afternoon. We are to go on
foot, and are to be there till
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saturday night the distance
is about sixty miles. I was
at and all trough the
capital it is a splendid
building and is worth
seeing and fighting for. I
had very little sleep for the
last two nights, yet I feel
quite well. I think I can
stand the march. I have
no time to write more
we march now go
may God bless
us all yours
John
Near Fredericksburg dec 19th 1862
Dear wife, the above I wrote at Washington
and did not get time to put it in the office.
We had quite a march till we got to this place
we laid out in the open air every night
since we left Washington last saturday
we marched till about 1 o clock in the
night and on sunday morning got up at
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about 2 o clock and took up our line of [battle]
at about 4 and traveled some 16 miles through
mud and over hills and then encamped on
monday we got to point Liverpool on the
Potomach and laid there till the night
morning, then got on a steamer and crossed
the river to Aquia Creek, laid here all night
and on wednesday marched to the
army of the Potomach, which is
a few miles from Fredericksburg.
Yesterday we were in sight of the rebel
entrenchments and saw where our men
were sadly defeated, it appears strange
to me that any man would send his
men before such fortifications as the
rebels have here, they have their batteries
on hills pointing right down so that
they can shoot our men down as fast
as they come up. We came a few days after
the fight our troops are all on this
side of the Reppahannock and the rebels
again occupie Fredericksburg. I dont
know what will be come now, the
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great army is pretty well scattered and
demoralized. It is full of camps in every
direction as far as I can see John Lambert
was in our camp today. Levi and I were
out to hunt John & Miles but we could
not find them. I dont know whether
they are here or not, but I suppose they
are somewhere in this army. We had pretty
hard times coming to this place, the
roads were most dreadful, muddy and
hilly, yet we had to go through with a
heavy load on our backs and half
rations in our stomachs, and the
hard ground to lie on with no shelter.
some nights I slept warm and others
I got cold. I got along quite well, and at
present am quite healthy. We are enca-
mped about 2 miles or 3 from Freder[icksburg?]
in the woods, we have no tents up yet
but I think we will soon get them
the weather is quite pleasant today
I am still trying to serve god and I
hope you will do the same. I will try and
write more the next time. A kiss to you & Elenor
Hancocks Division 2nd Army Corpus
Near Fredericksburg Va
Via Washingtom yours in love John