Union Mills Va
Monday Jan 26th 1863
wife and children
I thought as I had nothing
else to do I would commence
writing another letter to you
the reason why I have nothing
else to is because the Lieute-
-nant came to me last night
and asked me if I would go
and sit up with a man
that was sick with the mese-
-ls I went of course and it
exempts me from duty to
day the rest of our boys
are out to day on duty gu-
arding the camp this camp
guard is to keep any one
from going in or out of camp
with out a pass from head
quarters except the officers
[Page 2]
who pass themsevs and all
privets who are detaled on
dutey which requires them to
cross the lines the guards
remain on duty twenty four
hours the same as pickets
I thought this morning I would
I would take our Kettle and
with my dirty clothes and go
to the creek and wash them
you would laugh to see me
washing well laugh away
if you want to that is the
way we have to do it we
prefer cleanliness to dirt as we
have to eat enough of the
latter ingredience we chose
not to wearing it I have
some thoughts of turning in
between the blankets and
takeing a bit of a snooze but
I must tell you something
of our bed our bedstead
[Page 3]
Is the soled earth and on
this bedstead we have lade
a floor of unshaved oak shin-
gles and on these shingles we
spread our oil cloth and on
this oil cloth we spread one
wollen blanket and on this
blanket we spread our selvs
and on our selvs we spread
what remaining blankets we
have left with our overcoats
and with our little fire
place we managee to to keep
the institution running bully
up but I must stop this stuffe
and go for my grub or loose
it Jan 27th
I must say something more
about our bedstead there
is five of us that sleeps on
it and the cord dont breake
neither it is very warm
wether down here it seems
[Page 4]
more like May than Jan
it is raining to day and it
will be mudy again
Jan 2[9?] I am not very well
to day but better than I have
been I was taken with the
back door trot day before
yester day and from dark
to the next morning I went
from my quarters to the
sink eight times before
morning I got so reduced I
that did not know as I but
should be able to get there
when I started it rained and
snowed all night I had to go
between thirty and forty
rods and the mud was shoe
deep I reported my self to
the doctor the next morning
he gave me some powders
which helpt me right away
I feel very well to day only I
am very weak the diarhea is
the prevailing disease here
now the snow is 6 or 8 inches
deep here it fell last night L. Beebe