Camp near u[n]ion mills
Union Mills, VA Dec 12th 1862
Dear wife and Children
Last s[a]terday and sunday was
two very cold fays the ground
was covered with snow and
froze hard, we found our cloth
houses not the thing for such
weathers so we went over to the
rebel huts and got some of the
logs to fix up with, in the
first place we took up our
tent and dug down about
one foot then we laid the
logs up chinked and plastered
it up tight then put our tent
on top again, we also maid
a fire place which make it
very comfortable, we can keep
up a fire nights which is very
necessary here as it is quite
[page 2]
cold ever night let the days
be what they will, if we can
get enough to eat I think we
will manage the thing through
I dont like the place doun here
it is a poor God forsaken place
you cant see a decent house in
five miles march,
Last wensday I was detailed with
a squad of men from our Com-
pany to go out on picket du-
ty we was marched out two miles
and posted on the bank of bull
run creek it is rather a tight
place to put a man for he has
to stand twenty four hours rain
or shine, we took while out at
the post I was on two p[r]isoners
and two horses, one a boy about
fifteen years old the other was
a woman, we took them up
to head quarters where they was
examined by the General and
[page 3]
instead of being a woman she
proved to be a man, what they
have done with them I cant
tell, some of the boys brings
in something about every mor-
ning either negroes or horses,
we have nearly a hundred
pickets out all the time, we
have orders to shoot every
body that we cant stop
with out no matter who it is,
I should think from the
appearance of things there was
to be amove made some where
as Seigles brigade of cavaldry
passed through our camp this
morning bag and baggage
we could not see neither end
of it, it was over a mild
long the men looked well
and as a general thing had
good horses, one regiment has
been sent from here to some
[page 4]
place to build a bridge
for Seigles army to cross on,
it is supposed that we
will stay here through the
winter to do the picketing,
how that is we cant say
we are liable to be ordered
from here any day or we
may be driven from here
by the rebels as it is one of
ther run ways, we can see
all over the bull run ba-
ttle ground from a rise of
ground just behind our
camp, there is earth works thrown
up all over the country here
in any way you can look,
there is one half a mild long
not six rods from where I am
writing they are about four feet
high on one side and about six
on the other with the ditch
as the dirt is throw up from
one side
Lyman Beebe