Centerville, Virginia,

January 4th, 1863

Dear Parents,

When I last wrote you I said that we expected if nothing happened, to go to Centerville on picket about the middle of the week, and here we are. After getting my letter all ready to mail last Sunday we received light marching orders to be ready to march at a moment's notice, without knapsacks but taking our blankets and fly tents, and accordingly we started out and marched to Fairfax station where we were wanted to repel an anticipated rebel raid upon that place, although it does not necessarily follow that We always travel when we have light marching orders, for we have had them so frequently of late that we should hardly be able to enjoy a good night's rest no without them, unless we are ordered to lie on our arms or something of that description. After going doom to the Station at about the quickest common time ever put on record, we were stationed in a little grove some 40 or 50 rods in the rear of, and supporting two guns of the 2d Conn. battery, which belongs to our brigade, and were told to make ourselves as comfortable as we could without fires. I lay down under a fly tent With Baldwin and Alfred and with our three blankets made ourselves entirely comfortable, though some of the boys routed up a little after midnight and kept traveling the rest of the night to keep their feet warm.

The next afternoon, sufficient force having arrived there to render our presence unnecessary, we were taken back to camp again. During our absence The Reb cavalry succeeded in breaking over the picket line, and a detachment of them came up close to Fairfax Courthouse but were driven away by a volley from two companies Of the 12th and a few of the guards stationed in an old rifle pit, which killed one or two horses. They also got three or four prisoners, and the rest went off over the old Chantilly field road and escaped. From that time until we came here we had any quantity of scare stories about the Rebs, that they were coming in this direction of that, and since we came here even the story in our old camp has been that the 16th were all driven in to the Forts and rifle pits by the enemy. To be sure some of our company are camped in the old forts, but we have not been driven a single inch and as for capturing us, it would trouble all the cavalry in Jeff Davis' dominions to capture us as long as hard tack and cartridges lasted, although artillery would drive us out unless we could have some ourselves.

We have got to stay here in Centerville seven days instead of four, as we did the first time we were here, and then we will go back to camp again. Centerville is a nasty stinking desolate hole, half of it has already been burned, and it would do the other half good to burn also. There have been so many troops camped about here, both Sesesh and Union, that the country roundabout is a perfect desert covered with the rude stone chimneys constructed by the Rebel army to warm their winter quarters, and by the ruins of houses that once covered the inhabitants of this war desolated land. The Rebel huts have mostly been carried off for fuel, leaving only their great unsightly chimneys to mar the landscape, though near the post where Alfred and I stood on picket yesterday and last night, there were the remains of some which we found made first rate firewood.

I am writing with pencil out here because my knapsack is in camp and we have no ink out here, though we could buy it if we wished, and it is about the only thing you can buy, unless it be a little might of milk,- nothing in the line of eatables can be had for love or money. Even our officers got short and were unable to buy anything for themselves, and have been on a great deal shorter rations than have we. Oh, how is it about the pay for my board while I was at Ludlow? Has Uncle Sawtelle ever drawn the money for it? I suppose he will keep the whole of it, won't he? We have lately been mustered for two months' pay, but when we will get the greenbacks I don't know, but whenever we do, I shall try to send home some of them, as I have more than enough to last me another trip, if we get paid with any sort of regularity. And if we don't, I guess I have enough. I am glad to know that Jacob gets along well with his school and hope Thatch had equally good success at Hule Neville (?). I had a line from Henry a few days ago and he mentioned his trip over to the Kingdom [Plymouth Kingdom, ed.] How is the staid old town of Plymouth moving? Do they have any Lyceum at the [Tyson] Furnace? Is change scarce? How is the weather, etc.? It is very warm and comfortable here. We have no rain of any consequence this winter, have not got our blankets wet since we have been here. I call that very lucky, don't you? The candle is just going and I must quit.

Your Humble Servant - H.G.Day

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Contributed by Linda M. Welch, Dartmouth College, Windsor County researcher.

Return to the Index of Hezron's letters..

See also Hezron's biography, and his memoir of the Gettysburg Campaign.