14th Pennsylvania Cavalry

Item LTR-585

Description

4 pages, original Civil War Union letter written in period ink and war dated.


December 19th 1862
Camp Schoonmaker

Dear Sister,

I will have to go on guard. This after one mistake right away. I will have to go on guard tomorrow for not going on dress parade this afternoon. That’s if the doctor doesn’t mark me unfit for duty. For I intend to report sick in the morning. But very often it does no good. The boys try to play off so much. I got a letter from Dan Houck last night. We are at work now from morning til nine o’clock at night. If we are not sick and its most awful we have to practice jumping our horses over logs fixed up a piece from the ground. Heavens you ought to see the boys pitching off and hoses falling down. I believe there is men here that never saw till they come here, the doctor. Give old Johnathan Sheets a discharge. But the captain and colonel won’t sign it and he has to stay here. But they can’t make him do anything. Why in the devil don’t you send me them papers. It won’t cost much. We all combed our heads in our tent the other day and they all catched a louse a piece but me. And I didn’t comb much for fear of finding some too. We have some stuff to kill them now. We have got our bounty at not what was promised. Though only 27 dollars instead of 42 and that about all we ever will get. I don’t know whether to send it home or not. I will have to have gloves and boots and things that old Sam don’t find us and we have to pay for what he does find us. And they are not worth anything. I see accounts of lots of poor soldiers freezing to death while on picket. But I won’t freeze as long as there’s any clothes or fire, if I do have to let on to be sick. Does John Camel stay at our house yet. I would like to be at home about Christmas. But its no use to say anything to our old bald headed captain. Unless you wanted to get cursed. If ever I tell you or mother to write to me to come home to attend to something you must do it. But I won’t do that for a good while. I will try to get discharged first and if I can’t they will never get any good out of me. Has singing broke up at the grove yet. Tell mother I will send her enough money to pay Jake Moser for thrashing and what I owe her as she can sell something of mine. A good many of the fellows started their money home in letters and it was taken out. Poor fellows. So that had nothing at home for their families to live on. This war is an awful thing. Write immediately, if not sooner and tell all the news.

Als. Freeman