Camp near Fairfax Station

Sunday, Feb. 15th, 1863

Dear Parents,

It rained so much that the officers dispensed with the usual Sunday morning inspection, so we have nothing to do but keep quiet and comfortable. It is so warm that we do hot have fire enough to stew our applesauce. We have of late drawn dried apples occasionally, and find it a great improvement. Your quart of butter came very handy, as I lived on toast principally for several days, but now I have got so that I can take anything that is rations, except ration tea, and that I neither can nor will take. Never have got reduced enough for that yet, and don't expect to. It is about time for us to be on our travels again, but I don't see how we can go now, it is so muddy. Besides we hear that this regiment has been reported unfit for duty, on account of sickness, principally measles. All the measly ones in our company are doing well with one exception, -Gould of Andover, who it is thought must die. If he does it will be a hard case, as he was a poor man, and will leave a wife and four children, the youngest only three years old. There are twenty six in our company off duty from sickness, and fourteen permanently detailed for service out of the company, one discharged, and one dead- Demary, whose body has been sent to his folks, the expense being paid by the company, amounting to about half a dollar a head.

Our captain is in Vermont, having gone home on a ten day furlough, though how in the world he ever got it through I do not see, as it had to go through Stoughton's Casey's and Heintzelman's hands before it was allowed. (So much for red tape.) Major Pounds seems to have about the same opinion about my having the measles as Isadore had, as one Sunday morning while going the rounds inspecting the quarters of the men he stuck his head into our shanty, and seeing me there sick, remarked jokingly that I ought to have had the measles before, as it was bad to have them at twenty dollars a month. I told him I knew it was bad for Uncle Sam, and he smiled and passed along.

The most stirring thing that we have seen lately was a day or two ago when three regiments of Pennsylvania Bucktails landed here direct from Fredericksburg and overturned a sutler at the Stations and drank up a barrel or two of his whiskey. They were first sent to Alexandria to recruit but they acted so like the very devil that they sent them right straight off, six miles from the city, and now they are out somewhere between Centerville and the old Chantilly battlefield, where I would defy all the Bucktails in the army to steal anything, because it isn't there.

I hope you will have a chance to go to Pachen's this winter, as you have been so long wishing to. I am sure you would have a good visit. I should think there might be snow enough now in Vermont so that you could even get to Rutland.

We are not living on half rations now, and I guess no newspaper will tell you so, though we live on hardtack about half the time. We are going to use your old quart measure for a coffee pot after the butter is gone, provided the old thing doesn't leak, and if it does, why we can get along well enough without it. I have not seen Uncle Joseph for a day or two, I presume you have heard from him since you heard from me. Levi Moore is having the measles, as is also Henry Miner- both having them quite hard.

Monday the 16th: Another splendid day is gone, and I will try to finish this. I went up to the surgeon's yesterday morning and he unexpectedly gave me quarters, so I will try to fix them up a little, accordingly we have been building bunks. We are expecting to have some new guns again, Springfield Rifles. Companies "A" and "B" already got them, though I don't believe they speculated much by the swap, as the guns they got were some of them second handed ones, and awfully rusty inside and out. We are also expecting soon to lose our Orderly, as there is a vacancy in Co. "F" caused by the resignation of their 2nd Lieut. Burns, an officer much liked by his men. Furthermore, we are expecting to have four or five of our boys discharged. The surgeon offered to get Joseph Weston his discharge if he wanted, and I guess he will take it. The story here is that Stoughton has been trying his best to get us down on the front, and finally went to Gen. Heintzelman about it, and the answer he got from the rough old Pennsylvanian was "Gen. Stoughton, report yourself back to your command immediately, and if I hear any more of your trying to change your position, I'll bring you back within four miles of Washington and keep you there until you are discharged."

Gould, of whom I wrote yesterday, is still alive, and that is about all. The Journal came today, with the pens, enough to last quite a while. The papers miss once in a while, but generally come, say three-fourths of the time. The weather here now is about what it is in Vermont in October and November, occasionally freezing a little nights, but not near enough to stay frozen through the forenoon. We have good water, plenty of wood and plenty of mud, when it rains, still rain does not disturb us as much as you might think, as the shanties are not apt to leak, and our pine paved streets don't soften easy. I imagine that to transport us right from here to where the thermometer runs 24° below zero we should feel the cold some for a few days. Warner Bates of Sherburne was here a few days ago. He came with Mr. Colton after the body of his son. He was 2nd Serg't of the Rutland company in the 14th, and a first rate appearing fellow. The Bates boys occasionally came over here to visit their cousins, and they seem to be first rate good sort of boys. The boys you know who were in hospital are all doing well. All this from H.G. Day