1st Campaign
Camp Wood 1862
Camp Wood Feb 6th
Dear Brother
I now take the
Pleasure of informing you
that I am well hoping
that these few lines May
find you Enjoying the same
State of Health. I recieved
your letter to day after
we came in from Brig
ade drill and I was very
glad to hear that you
are all well I wrote [??]
three or four times But
I never got no answer I
dont under stand what
you mean by James’s
Courage failling in
time of need nor I dont
know what you mean
[page 2]
unless you mean [Nood?]
and I am certain that his
or no body Eles’s Courage
failed in the Part of
Kentucky for there was
nothing here to make any
Body’s Courage fail I
for my part haint saw
a Rebel here yet nor
no one else in our Regt
except three and they
Came in with a flag
of truce and they was
only saw by the Col
the Agutant and some
of the staff officers for
they would not let
them inside the Pickts
We have prety hard times
just now we have a brig
gade drill Every day and
we must martch about
[page 3]
two miles afore we Come
to the field that we drill
in and then till we was
about the field through
the Different move ments
it makes a feller feel
for his supper by the tim
he gets back to Camp we hav
Dash Shaum [1] in our Co and
hes got his fiddle with him
and ever evening we have
a dance in our Street so
we dont forget how to
till we get back Last nigt
John shroad and a little
fellow by the name of
gallegher dance for a
Pudding and John shroad
win it and this morning
a couple of us fellows went
out to town and we found
a puding in the gutter it
[page 4]
was stinking tell sam to
Plague him about it when
he writes to him this after
noon while was on drill
we was ordered to stack
arms and rest a while and
while the Boys was Resting
two of them an Indianian
and a Pennsylvanian made
up a running match they
took off their Coats Caps
and Shoes and run in their
stocken feet the Distance
was 75 yards Lieutenant fry
was the starting Post and
the Gen started them the
Major acting judge they started
and they run about 20 yards
when the Ind gave up and the
Penn run the full Distance
and then there was another
Ind steped out and they starts
and run the while Distance
the Indianian Came out
first Best gen Col and
all were interested in it
and I guess we will have
[page 5]
another m[a]tch at for the
Co wants Pennsylvania
to go ahead in drill and
everything we got another
Pair of sky blue Pants this
evaning Wash Almstead looks
awful I dont think he ll [he will]
ever come back with us
unless he changes consider
able but dont say any thing
to any one that you think
will tell or write about
it for I wouldnt like wash to
know it I must now bring this
thing or what ever you may
call it to Close for they are
beatting tatoo
tell hen [2] Huber that when
we went out on brigade drill
I seen an old man setting along
[page 6]
a fence Crying he was about
80 years old and I went up
to him and asked him what
he was Crying about and
he said his father whiped
him I thought he was rather
old to be whiped so i just
for devilmen ask his fath
e what he whiped such an
Old man for why says he the
young scamp was throwing
stones at his grand father
while he was diging garden
I left then [???]
Nothing more at Present but
A still Remaining your Offect
onate Brother
Henry M Erisman

Give my Respects to sam
shroat and all Equiring
Friends