149th Pennsylvania Infantry - Bucktails - WIA at Weldon Railroad

Item LTR-302

Description

4 page original Civil War soldier's letter, written in period ink and war dated.

Culpepper, VA
January 10th, 1864

Friend Stephen

I am well. I received your letter some time ago but had no chance to answer it. After we got our winter quarters built, then they moved us here and now I have got my shanty finished and a good brick chimney in it. I am fixed comfortable if we can only stay here until Spring I shall be very thankful. The weather has been quite cold. The ground froze hard and some four inches of snow. It seems to me that this war can’t last longer than next summer. I hope so, any how. I hardly know how to content myself today. I read a while in my testament then I read the 103 Psalm. It is a good one. I have no chance to go to meeting. I am so far from the Regiment. The supply train is close to the depot. I hear the cars coming in with supplies.
I thought I could content myself in writing home and to you. I wrote to Father to know if he could get a plank store off or not or how it would be. It seems to me they might and maybe my Brother would help you a while in sugaring. I don’t know yet. I would like to have you more careful than we was in cutting the trees. We was most too bad. I want you to look after my place a little and not let any one cut timber only wood next to you and I want you to use that piece that is cleared. I don’t know whether it is seeded good or not. You can mow it and take care of it as well as you can. The strip I chopped is rather an unlucky spot. I don’t know but it will have to let it go a spell I guess. It is pretty hard to content myself here. I would be content if the cruel war was over and I could come and live on my place. Well, I must be contented and be content with the will of the Lord. I would like to be up there to meeting very much. I very often think of you and Mrs. Wood and I have often thought of your spring when I could hardly get water and that ugly and muddy. You must write me a good long letter and how the neighbors are getting a long and how Mr. Owin’s folks are getting a long. You have good meetings now. The Lord has been very merciful to me. How thankful I am. I praise him for ever for his kindness. Blessed be the Lord God of heaven for ever. Well it is time to get my supper, so I will close. I send my best respect to all of the neighbors and especially to you and Mrs. Wood. Well, Stephen, I will bid you good bye.
Mr. Stephen H. Wood
Augustus Lyon