Centerville Va
April 12th 1863
Wife and Children I
thought I would write again
and let you know that I am
well and hope you are the same
I received your letter of March
30th last Friday a week ago
and was glad to hear that you
was well at that time I have
just herd that this Brigade
has had orders to moove to
morrow but I dont Know
whether it is so or not
I will give you a short descr-
-iption of Centerville the place
once contained about thirty
buildings there is only about
twenty now left the rest of
them has been torn down
for some purpose what
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buildings there is left is very
old and much shattered the
houses are very long and narrow
two stories high with a large
stone chimney at each end
on the out side some of them
have a Kitchen built on the
back side there is two churches
in the place one wood and the
other stone they have both had
the in sides of them torn out
one is used for a horse stable
and the other is used for a
barn to Keep our grain and
hay in take it all together
it is rather desolate looking place
But the face of the country is
very nice its not flat but a
little rolling go on to the highest
Knolls and you can see as far
as you please you cant see a
stick of fence nor a post in
the place but the place is all
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cut up with rifle pits and
evry high pease of ground has
got a fort built on it there is
six in sight If the place was
inhabeted with a differant
kind of folk I should like
to live here but as it is I
think I shall get out of it
as soon as I can our Court
Martial is now in session and
I think they will get through
with us this week if they do
I think they will send us up
to our regiment soon I shant
complain however if they
dont
I must write a few lines to
Mary and Mat there is two little
black girls here in the house
that I am living in one of
them is just about your size
her name is Mary she is as
black as a crow and just
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as smart as any white girl
ther is more black girls than
white ones here and they are
all slaves every time I hear
one of them it makes me
think of home there is black
boys here to any quantey of
them when I come home I
guess I will bring one home
with me I would send you
some more money but if we
have to stay here a month or
to longer I shall have to buy
me some more clothes or go naked
You must get along as well
as you can for I expect you
have it rather hard these days
make Webb help you as much
as you can I will try to write
home as often as I can I dont
Know what to say to you about
writing to me for I dont Know
one day where I shall be the
next day you think best about
it
L. Beebe