Sunday March the 8 /63
Aquia Creek Va
Dear Wife
I once more seit myself to answer your letter which I received last knight and was glad to hear that you was well. I have got my boots and they come verry exceptable to but I dident get but one pair of socks and one fried cake. I got the peper. James Batcher dident get eney socks nor peper. I ask Harper what he must have to bring them. He sead not eneything. He never told me you paid him. He is a dishonest man. He has opend boxes that came here and eat the things himself. He has got a hard name. I am going to see him tomorrow and tel him what I think of him. I told you in my last letter you neadent send a box until I wrote for it. You neadent send another box. It costs a good deal and I can get along just as well. I have enoug to eat now days. It is quite sickly here now. I think this is an unhealthy place. There has four men died out of our regement this weak. One of our compeny. There was one man died in Co H. He froze to death. He was verry sick and he had to lay in a shelter tent without eney fire. The man that took care of him left him and in the morning he found him dead. They had to shouvel the snow away from his little tent before they could get to him. It was last Sunday knight. He laid all crocked up. He was quite an old man and they haint no business here for they cant stand it. I dont know as you know how our shelter tents are. It is a peice of factory about six feet square. We take two of them and batten them togeather and drive down two sticks with a croutch on the end of each and lay a pole in and then streach over the clouth and fasten it to the ground. Souch houses I have had to live in the most of the time. Since I left you we have had a tent part of the time. We have got a log house now with tent cloths on for a roof. Some of the boys haint got their log huts built yet. That is the reason why that man suferd so. The Co or to be ashamed of it. The Col is verry sick. Lieutenant Gale has rezined and gone home. He was axodently shot in his leg by a capt that was looking at his revolver. He was verry lame. I have ben choping and to work on the fort the most of the weak. Some days I chop and some days I dig or shovel dirt. It is a __ job to build a fort. I am glad to hear that Rast is getting smart but where is Billy. He must have his discharge by this time. We have just drawed five days rations. We got some potatoes and onions. We draw 5 days rations pork and two days beef. The beef rations are small. We have about all the poark we want and plenty of hardtacks. We get soft bread about two days out of a weak. I wish we could have more potatoes and onions. We draw some most every weak but I dont get onely about enough for one meal but that is better than none. You stated that our folks got a letter from Jacob and he sead he expected to leave there. I am sorry to hear it for he may see some harder times. He haint ben in Dixey yet. He never has done eney marching yet and I hope he never will. I expect they will draft before long. I hope they wont draft Paul and leave our folks alone. One thing sirtain they cant draft me. You wanted to know if I wanted an oilcloth coat. We are going to draw ruber blankets so you neadent send me one. We was musterd for pay yesterday. We expect to get it about the midel of the month. I shal have to stop for the want of roome. Ciss Matie every day for me. My love to you and all. This from your affecunate husbman.
Charles Engle to Charlotte Engle
Good buy Charlotte and Matie