Dec the 31 1862
In camp near Fairfax Station
Dear Wife
I now seit myself to answer your letter which I found dated the twenty first and was verry glad to hear from you and that you was all well. It found me well and harty as a buck. I have just come off picet and you dont know how glad I was to get a letter from you and to hear that you was well. There was a letter came here for Billy. It was mailed the same time yours was. This makes two letters that came here for him. We haint had a letter from him yet. We dont know where he is. We heard he was sent to Baltimore. I should think he would try and get someone to write for him. It is strange he dont. We heard once that he was most well and was coming to the regement. He got that money before we left Bolivar and Rast sold his butter and got fifty cents for him and I give him fifty more. Rast is writing and he will write part of the news. Our division went on another reconnoicance. They had orders to march Sadurday knight at nine oclock. I was on picet so I dident go. They went back most to where we turned and came back. Our cavelry had a schermish with 500 rebel cavelry and our artilery opend on them and it made them scedadel. Our batery was supported by our regement and the 149 NY SV. The 137 had the prase of doing the best and ceeping the best line. Generel Geary and Generl Greene sead they never se it but our regement was praised by all the field officers. Rast will write all about it but we had the greatest time here in camp. After the troops left half of the picets was brought to camp to guard the camps and things that was there and I was one that went to camp and Sunday we recieved orders to tear down all the tents and pack every thing and be readey to leave at aminuets notice for Stuerts whole cavelery was coming. So down the tents went in a hurry and packed and our guns stacked readey to go. We laid in that way all day until most knight when we had orders to put up tents enough to sleep in that knight. So we put up a fiew tents but Stuarts cavelery dident come quite to our camp but they came within 4 or 5 miles of us. This was Sunday knight when they went through. They went towards Fairfax Courthouse. There was 9 regements of them. About 6000 of them. It was a lucey thing for us that they dident come here for they had their flying artilery with them and they might schrached some of us. They came verry near captureing our sutlers. They was going to Washington to get supplies. They stoped to feed their horses and they heard a noise and they got their wagons into the woods and it was prety dark so they dident see them. They was two hours pasing by and they went doubel quick to. They had a long supply train with them. Our boys came back yesterday and we have got the tent all up again. We have got winter tents again and I guess we shal stay here this winter. It is most knight the bugel blows for dress parade so I must finish my letter tomorrow.
Good morning Charlotte
I wish you a happy new year. It is a verry pleasent morning here. It has ben warme for the past weak but it was quite cold last knight. The ground froze hard. I am agoing to have a new years diner to day. We drawed some potatoes this morning. I got seven. I am agoing to make me a soope for diner. I shal slice the potatoes and boil them and put in some peper and salt and pork. That will be my diner to day. Charlotte was you ever acquainted with the Traver boys. There was one died yesterday morning. He was a brother to the one that lived to Rena(?) Fairbrothers. He has ben sick for some time. You sead the people up there think the South cant be whiped. I know they cant the way they manage guard every house and every thing else. They must stop guarding rebel property or we never can do eney thing with them. This war is a great speculation. They are nursing it along and getting rich out of it. The soildiers are getting verry much dissadesfide and most of them say they wont stay longer than spring. It is rather discuraged to see how it goes and how it is cared on. We are all willing to fight eney time if they onely would burne every house and vilage we come to and take all that is useful to our army. I think they would give up after a while. But that haint so. So I think it never will be seteld by powder and bulets. They have got to settle it some other way and if they dont do it between this and spring it never will be. But I think there will be something done before long. It seems that it cant go in this way much longer. The opinion of most of the soldiers is that they will setelle it by spring. Charlotte we heard from Billy last knight. One of the boys in our compeny had a letter from a sick man that is with him. They are in Harpers Ferry in the hospittle but not in the generl hospittle. That is the reason he dident get that letter. He dident say how he was getting along. You sead in your letter that you dident believe I could standit to march. It agrees with me. I am getting fat as a bare. I can stand it now but if we have got to march next sumer then will be the time we sufer. I can stand the cold better than I can the heat. I hope we shant have to march next sumer. If you send us a box I wish you would send me a little pail with a cover on it. One that holds about two quarts to do my cooking in. Our cups are small and when the wind blows the dust and ashes blows in it. We was musterd for pay yesterday again. So that makes four months pay due us. I gues we will get it by the midel of the month. We have heard a little differnt news about Billy again. Rast will write the particulars. I wish you and Maty was here to day so you could see how we live and visit with me. It is verry pleasent here in the woods. The sun shines warme. I would like to see you all verry much. Give my love to my folks and to your folks. I shal have to stop writing . It is most time to peal my potatoes and get my diner. We eat here when we get houngry. I dont know whether you can read this or not. I guess you will get tierd before you yet read. It is now 1863 and I hope we all shal be set free. My love to you. So good buy. Ciss Maty for me.
Charles to Charlotte.
I guess I wont write but one sheet full this time. It is a big one.