17th Maine Infantry - Wounded at Locust Grove

Item LTR-401

Description

4 page original Civil War soldier's letter written in period ink and war dated.
Head Qrs 3rd Div, 2nd Corps
Monday Eve Feb 21, 1865

Dear Father,

I have just received my box, and after taking a bountiful supper out of it and taking out my tobacco and stationary, I will start off a sheet of paper toward old Maine again. My box came through in excellent shape. Everything is as nice as one could ask for. And you can imagine how I am grinding away at the good tobacco now. We can not get any such tobacco here in the army. I have been opening boxes part of the afternoon. We have to open all the boxes that come for the Division and take out all the whisky there is in them. We are taking things pretty comfortable again. Have got good quarters but if we have good weather, I don’t suppose we shall remain here long. I hope it will be wet enough to keep us still about a month longer, then it won’t be so cold. But I think we have had about all the real cold weather we shall have this winter already. My health still remains good and I hope you are all enjoying the same blessing. I received a letter from Hattie Sturdivant a short time ago and she said that Frankie had been sick but she thought he had got better. I hope he has. We don’t seem to be doing much here except holding Lee’s forces here and Sherman and others are doing the work South. The Rebels are getting pretty tired of the war and coming in by the hundred. There is all the way from three to fifteen comes in to these Headquarters every night. I took eight to Corps Headquarters yesterday morning. They say it is impossible for the South to feed their army as it should be fed, and said that they are determined to not fight next summer any more than they can help. But it is pretty late for me to be up and as I was on guard last night. I feel some sleepy. Will close, excuse bad penmanship if you can read it. I have not been more than ten minutes writing it. Write often.
Your affectionate Son,
George W Doughty