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January 17th, 1862 |
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Washington, January 17 1862 Dear Mother, I received your letter last Sunday just as I was going down to the Capitol to hear Dr. Cheever preach. it is a good long three mile Walk from Camp down there. but I felt well paid for going. The Hutchinson family were there and sang for the occasion. I was in the patent office one day last week and spent a couple of hours. but did not have a chance to see much for there is so much there that a person "cant see it." I think a person could spend a week there to good advantage. The next time that I go down I shall go into the Smithsonian Institute. Have not been to call on Abe yet but expect to soon. Bill Seward and some of the other fellows were up in camp the other day but did not say much to "us boys "becaus they had not been introduced to us I see George Beardslee and a good many other boys from home quite often. Chace was elected by the whole company not a vote was cast against him. but there is a good many crooks and turns in this military law. Capt. Tuckerman and Chace are both thrown out of office and will have to be elected over again they were elected all right with the exception of one or two little things, which would not amount to anything anywhere but here. We were all marched up to get our pay one day this week staid there a little while and found out that the paymaster had made a mistake in the pay roll so we could not get any pay that day and shall not untill the first of March unless they are more obliging than usual. I have got to go out after I get done writing and look all over camp to find a postage stamp to send my letter with. It would be very convenient if some kind friend would send a few stamps in a letter sometime You said in your letter that you thought camp life could not be much worse than New Berlin. You are right as far as I have seen it is a heaven by the side of New Berlin. Ed Nelson has been sick in the hospital about a week. I went in this morning to seem him for the first time but he has changed so much that I did not know him. I think he will never get up again. it is a bad place for a person here unless they are very strong and healthy the Doctor seems to think he has got the inflamation on the lungs. The average of deaths in camp is about four per day out of both regiments. The most of them die with measles. I have been all right since I came here and expect to be as long as I can get enough food to eat. Tell Gust I will write to him pretty soon. remember me to all the people "or any other man" Please answer as soon as you can and send all the papers you can conveniently. Tell Sommers I will write to him as soon as I get some postage stamps. The ambulance has just come up to take Ed down to the city Hospital probably that will be the end of him as they die faster there than they do here in camp. I have written all I know and I guess a little more so I will say
goodbye |
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