.MzUyMQ.NTA2Mg

Warwick May 3d 1862

Dear Brother I must write you a few lines this morning. I am feeling very comfortable just now. I am out of camp about a mile and ½ on picket. We are to stop here 2 days. I am seated in a shed made of Boards sufficie ntly large to accommodate six of us the number detailed for this place. Other squads are posted near us of not less than 150 men. Our post is within 75 paces of the Warwick River. We are in a thick woods though we occupy a little opening. One of our number is stationed close to the edge of the River to watch the Rebel pickets on the opposite shore and a Gun Boat which lies down to our left about ¾ of

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a mile. I think the Gun Boat will not give us any trouble for he knows very well that we have Bateries on our side of the River not very distant from us that would take care of him at short notice. I told you at the commencement that I was feeling very comfortable this morning. Let me enumerate the causes and then see if you have reason to doubt. In the first place my health is good so I feel at liberty to enjoy all the pleasant things which nature has thrown around me and they are not few. It seems to me sometimes that we have mistaken the month that it must be June instead of May. The trees are almost in full leaf and the Birds are singing in their branches as if it was their last chance. The River adds much to the beauty of

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our place. It is a pretty sheet of water not quite ½ a mile wide in front of us running nearly ne[crossed out] straight at our left a long distance but on our Right rather winding. It looks very pleasant on the opposite shore. I think there must be some nice farms there. 3 Houses in view one of them large and good looking. But we have got some pretty farms on our side. The one in front of the grove where we camp cannot be easily beaten though I have nothing to say in prase of the buildings. 300 ackers are streched out before us as pretty lay of land as you ever saw. This is a very flat country but the farm which I am speaking of now is a little rolling. I should judge there[crossed out] the number of young though bareing Peach trees on the place to be about 1000 a few old apple

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trees and 3 or 4 large pear trees though much past their prime. Capt Young the owner of this place on our approach took his [Negroes?] and Horses acrost the River [W?] and is now in command of a Rebel company. I must now draw my letter to a close. But two things occur to my mind which I have not told you which add greatly to my comfort. I will mention first the good wash which I had day before yesterday and the clean clothes which I had to put on after my bathe that was worth $1,000. I will speak next of the contents of my haversack. I cramed it full this morning to take on picket with me. My little Bag full of coffee and sugar, 1 lb cheese, 1 doz cookies and 1 doz Hard Bread and they will bring us some soup for dinner. I can give you no news as to our progress on York town although I am expecting

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every day a movement onward to that place. You have probably heard some strange stories concerning our Regt being badly cut up and especialy Comp K. You must be Rather Slow to believe especialy such stories as that it all sprang from our night in the woods. Some of our men gave wrong ans when questioned by men of other Regts. Which ans I suppose reached the ears of Reporters of the Press. Yours Affectionately Rufus

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New Kent County Va May 11th

Dear Brother I closed my last letter to you [?] rather abruptly and I havnt time now to write many particulars but it will be a satisfaction to you to learn that I am well. I think I have seen some hard times and I should love to give you all the particulars but the maill leaves in a hour and I must write a few lines to Ruth. I have neglected her sadly and she is feeling very anxious about me. I recd a letter from her last Thursday night which I shall enclose with this. To assure you of the continued good health which I have enjoyed I will say that my weight this morning was 145 lbs a loss of only 6 lbs since last winter. It is Sunday and a very fine day, a day of

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rest with us. I thought when I closed my letter to you last Thursday that we should march that afternoon but we didnot until the next morning. We marched about 20 miles Friday and 8 yesterday. We are going to Richmond. Perhaps you will think it strange that I am not able to give you correct information concerning the Battle of Williamsburg. It was nearly 3 oclock when we arrived at the ground and as our position was in the woods we were unable to see any of the fighting but we saw shot and shell enough to satisfy us that they are dangero us things. Our Brigade Gen gives us great credit for our coolness. All the particulars that I can give you is that our loss was great but the Rebel loss much greater. I dont know the number engaged on either side but I think

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when the Battle began in the morni ng that our side didnot number more than 16 Regiments 16000. Co K was one of the companies detailed to go to Williamsburg with a part of the Prisoners which we took. We went up with 225 of them. I conversed with some of them. I think full ½ of them were not interested in the cause which they represented but some were as unyielding as Tigers. I think the number of Prisoners which we took will not number less than 500. They took not less than 100 from us so I hear their next stand will be near Richmond but I think it will be a feble one. I want you should write to Ruth and let her know where I am. Send me the Paper and and write often. There is no regular times to send

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our mail now so you must not feel worried if you dont hear from me so often. Be of good cheer all of you. I think of home often but not with regret that I left it for there is need of me here. We shall continue our march again tomorrow morning. The roads are good now. I fell much interest in my travels through the country. I feel that the fighting is about over and have great hopes of being with you again next Sept. I dont know what to tell Mother to sent me. my clothes are all good. A little writeing paper a towel and a cheep Jack knife is all I can think of now. I shall write again as soon as possible

Yours Affectionately Rufus

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                  Va

New Kent Courthouse ^ May 15th

Dear Brother

I dont know how you would have enjoyed my Bed last night or my Breakfast this morning but I can tell you that they were both very agreeable to to me. I woke once in the night and found it was raining quite hard and the first thought that came to my mind was ck how wet my Blanket is getting. I put my hand out and found it was dry then I came to my sences and recolected that before retireing we had built a tent of our Rubber Blankets. A feeling of satisfac- tion came over me and I soon fell asleep again. My Breakfast was Fried Pork and hard Bread Hard Bread filled fried in the fat. My health and appetite continue

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good. I donot now crave food that I cannot have so much as I used to. Pork and hard Bread are the staples now but we have Beans and Rice when we stop in a place long enough for the cooks to prepare such food. Coffee enough always. We have made another move since I last wrote you. You must now look on our map and find Newkent Courthouse. You will find us four miles in advance of that. 12 miles from where I last wrote you and now 30 miles from Richmond. Our last march was a hard one although we only made 12 miles. How can it be you will ask such hard work to march especialy when you only go 12 miles. Well I will tell you. Mud ankle deep when it Rains. But our last march [?]crossed out hot dry and dusty. We broke camp

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to come here Tuesday morning. Seven O,Clock the order read, but it was 9 before we moved. Marched about 40 Rocks Bugle sounds to halt. Stand 5 minutes with Knapsack on then throw it off and set on it ½ an hour when the Bugle sounds to move a gain. Move 20 paces Toot goes the Bugle halt Throw off Knap- sack and sit down but the same

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instant Bugle ^ up again. Well to sum it all up I have learned that halts in marches like notes in music may be long or short. It is difficult for me even to understand the causes of all these delays, but there are 16 or 20 Thousand of us on the Road Several long Mule trains and Batteries. Perhaps they have stopt to water, perhaps a Bridge needs a little repareing. We only know it is a halt perhaps for one minute and perhaps for 2 hours. That night at sun set we had come 7 miles and

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and between that time and 12 – o clock that night we accomplished the remaining 5. I made a cup of coffee before I went to Bed and then I laid down feeling very tired but as comfortable after I got to Bed as I ever felt in my life. I love to sleep wen it is pleasant weather under that big Roof while the Moon and Stars are fixed. We were awakned by a comp of [cavelry?] in the morning which past near our heads. I heard one of them say Sleep on Boys we wont harm you. I can tell you no news except the report that we have surrounded and taken a large lot of Prisoners near here and most evry Body thinks the Rebs will do more Running than fighting. I think you have done well to dispose of so many trees and vines

Yours affectantely Rufus

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Newkent Count Va may 18

Dear Brother

We continue to advance towards Richmond. When I wrote you last Thursday the distance was about 30 miles. It is now about 18. We have come the last 2 days a little in advance of our main army. There are 3 Regts of us Infantry. 1 Battery. 1 Cavelry. Our col (Russell) had command of the whole. We are feeling the way along and driveing in the Rebel Pickets. We have met with no resistance yet but Supposed last night that we had advanced about a far as we could with safty with what force we had. I think we shal get to Richmond with[crossed out] without any fighting and it also seems

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to me that there can be but little after we get there. I think they are afraid of us and not without good cause for unless they can crawl out at a pretty small hole we will soon have them in a tight Box. We are resting today and I am improveing it to the best of my ability. It is a very fine day only pretty warm. I suppose you would like to have me write you a long letter and give you all the particulars of my journey here. I would but I feel too lazy. I will tell you lots of war stories when I get home. I would like to show you some of my farms out here, the one, that I am on now [?][crossed out] is a fine one. I call it mine because

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the proprietor is gone. We find many such places. The Rich ones run but the Poor are not so much afraid of us. He has left us a fine peach orchard. Peaches as large as the end of your finger also some fine looking Apple trees about[crossed out] full of fruit and about the size of the Peaches. Apple Trees look much better out here than I expected to fine and are ful of fruit. We see Peas in Blossom and Potatoes 6 inches high Corn about the first hoeing not much planted But large fields of wheat. I am expecting to Receve a letter from you today but I shall have to mail this before I get it as was the case last Sunday. I got up early

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this morning and had a good wash and put on my Clean Shirt. The next thing I did was to wet up some meal which [ ? ] [ ? ] me to cook at the halves. I wet it up about as thick as I should for chickens put in a little salt then take out a spoonfull and put it into a thin cake and fried it in Port fat. It was [in...?] meal and very fine they were very good. I think are we shall move on a piece again tomorrow I must close now as the mail will leave soon. I have been looking for some [fouers?] to send to mother but I cant find any that I can put in a letter Yours Truly

Rufus