|
Camp Winfield Scott Apl 16th
Dear Mother,
I received your letter dated April seventh day before yesterday and the
papers I got last Saturday so I think after this you had better direct to
Washington as they come through quicker that way. There has not been much
going on here since I wrote last, there has been some Artillery firing
every day but not enough to amount to much. The Batteries however have
opened this morning and are having quite a lively time. We have mooved back
about half a mile from the camp that we had when I wrote you last it begun
to get pretty hot there for us the rebels would throw about a dozen shells
in every day but did not hapen to hurt any boddy. I thought when I wrote
you from Hampton that we were going to have an easy time marching through
to Richmond but I have found out since that I was badly Sucked in. I think
that General McClellan himself did not expect to find so much to contend
with they discover some new obstacle nearly every day, but I think in the
end we can take the town and that once done and then the war is over. We
are encamped on the ground that our troops ocupied in the time of the
revolution and Genl McClellans head quarters are on the same spot that
Washington had his tent. The Country here is beautiful and I think I should
like to Confiscate a good big farm here there are a great many peach
orchards here, some of them have as many as four thousand trees in them
they have been blossoming for the last two weeks and are now in full bloom.
There is quite a city here now the population must be nearly two hundred
thousand and they have all mooved in within the last ten days they do not
have verry large houses but they are good enough to sleep in. I think there
must be more bussiness going on here now than there ever was before. The
day after the advance got in there was a telegraph up and in good order
clear up to Porters headquarters which was within a mile of the rebel forts
and that I think is doing things up in a hurry. Our men have taken
possesion of a steam saw mill and are sawing out large quantities of
lumber. I was out on picket yesterday and lay within half a mile of the
forts all day they are to work all the while on the breasworks and mean to
stand to the last we fired a few shots at them and got a couple of Shells
in return but they did not hurt any thing. We were paid off last Monday and
I will put fifteen dollars in this letter. I do not know as you will ever
get it but if you do not it will have to go. You will please pay my debts
and if there is any left you can use it for yourself and Sommers if you
choose to I am all out of postage stamps and can not get any here. I wish
you would send me a few. I do not know how I can write to any boddy but you
at present for we are kept on the go nearly all the time. I am off duty to
day on account of being on picket yesterday. I have been down to the bay to
play and had a salt water bath, the weather is verry warm here now, full as
warm as it is at home in June. I hope you will write every week whether you
hear from me or not for it seems pretty good to hear from home once in a
while.
Your aff Son
C J Hardaway
Historical Notes
|
