Camp pearpont Feb the 16.. 1863
Sister Lib
This is a beautifull sun shining morning
The shnow is thre or fore inches deap being the most
s[n]ow that we have had at any one time this winter
and last nite was the coldest nite that we have
had this winter and then it was nuthing to what
I have sean and felt at home but we can stay
in our litle shebangs warm and comfortable now
odds how cold it is We have nuthing to do but
tend to our horses and chop what wood keeps
our litle stoves going We are much beter off in
That respect than infantry they have to cery
all thare wood but ours is all holled to the
dore We have a poleas party evry day to get wood
the gard that is on to day acts as poleas the day
after tomorrow sow that thare is a new set of
men evry day We git along very comfortable now
and our horses look prety well thare is water
coll and I must go and water my hors
Well water is over you Just ot [1] to see them come out to
water these cold mornings thare is some jumping and
cicking a[??] and some caffing the horses are all
taken to water at once and watered twice a day
at ten and half past three and fed morning noon
and nite and curied allways once a day and some times
twice and bla[??]ed at nite all the time and nice days tak[??]
[page 2]
I recieved your vary cind leter and those pictures
in diew time for which I thank you and Melia
very much they are admired by avry one that see them
for being good pictures and I valeue them [vary?]
highly I was allsow vary glad to hear that you ware
all well and in good spearets that is my condition
at the presant time never had beter helth in my
life than now And I would Thank Mr Firell to
Tell the trooth after this when he tell any Thing
all he Said was interley fols
Our spearets are revived avry day by good nuews from
The burnsides expodition [2] which has been along
good exacution of late The nues came to camp
last nite by a dispatch that Fort Donelson was
taken and fifteen thousand prisners and all his
arms and Thom C Bustman coms in and says that
boalden grean [3] is taking thare is some big chearing
don in the camps when such nues com it Jenerly
thot that the back bone of the cesesh is broken now
and we will soon have them surounded and will
com in on evry side and wipe them out or they
will have to surender they are over powered at evry
point and they have not men anuff to make
all of thare holds strong and they have them
divided round to thare is now strong point any
more boldin grean was thot to be as trong a
point as they had and it is taken and that will cut off
thare supplies from a good many plases
[page 3]
It is now noon and I have Just hayed my hors
and will try to finish this Tom is seting here taking a good
loock at your pictures and says to tell you that he rote
to you the other day him and I have many a long talk
about old times We would of like to of ben at Sharps
party whare thare was sow many more girls than boys
It is prety hard when the girls cant git a boy a peas
I now it dont fit them but hope that they can all
enjoy them s[e]lvs I have not had any late nues from
mag but expect one soon as she oes me one and you
now she is Jenerly prety punctial in answern her
leters I had one from Nancy A Hamelton yesterday
they are all well I sean her in Altuna when we came
through thare and she wanted me to rite to her
she rites a prety good leter she had been oup at
mags a weak or two ago and they had got a leter from
Tom and he said he got along fine onley the cows did
not come home and he could not get cream for
his coffee That was my fix for a while but can get
along fine with out it now and we git plenty of
coffee we have five or six lbs of over pluss [4] now in
the shanty and tomorow we draw seven more days
we draw all our rashens sow and cook it our selves
and we live fine We have been wating patientley
for that box of buter I recieved the shiping bill some
time ago but the box has not came yet the wagen
was at town yesterdy and got that big box that was sent
from Mt Backson a long time ago
[5] I thot of sending you a presant but could not
think of any thing i could send you sow I will in close
two dollers in this for you to by one with
[6] How dos oncle Sams git along I have been
thinking of riting to him for some time give them my
respects when you see them