1st New York Dragoons

Item LTR-7245

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 4 pages written in period ink.

Suffolk Va.
Nov. 10th 1862

Dear Father and Mother,

See’n that Florin has gone home and it is more trouble for you to hear from, I will write you a few lines. I am well and am tuff as a n----. I haven’t seen a sick day since I have been in Virginia. This country agrees with me here. Full as well here as it does there. This climate don’t agree with some but it does me first rate. I am healthier and tougher than I was at home. It is very pleasant weather here now. We have had one cold snap but didn’t last long. The leaves are all green and nice as they was 2 months ago. I haven’t seen any frost to amount to anything yet.

We haven’t seen any fighting yet. The most that we have had was a march of 50 miles. We went it in 27 hours. That is, I was gone from the time that I left and the time that I returned was 27 hours. We marched all night and all day the next day. I was pretty lame the next day but soon got over it. I had fun enough to pay.

I haven’t been homesick any yet but I would like to see the folks. There is too much going on here for a fellow to get homesick here. I never realized when I was at home that there was as much to be seen in the world as there is. I have seen and heard some things I guess since I left home but I haven’t seen as much as I presume that I shall see and learn something every day. There are a great many things to see and learn in this world if a person wants to see and learn what is going on in the world, let them enlist and go to war. I am not sorry yet that I have enlisted and shan’t be as long as I am well and if I get sick I should get just as good care taken of me as I was at home. You mustn’t be alarmed about me, I shall fare well enough if I am sick. I don’t feel any more alarmed here about my life than I did at home. We have got things comfortable here now. We have built us a log hut and have got us a fireplace in it and can sit here by our fire at night and tell stories and take comfort. So you mustn’t be alarmed about us. We will get along dear father and mother.

I am agoing to ask something of you and that is a box of things. I wouldn’t ask for it nor thought of it if it wasn’t for the other boys they are lots of boys in our company that has got boxes of good things to eat. It makes me hanker after it. If I couldn’t see any such things, I shouldn’t thought anything about it and most all of the boys have sent home after one and I think that I am just as good as any one. And I couldn’t bare to see all of the rest have one and I can’t have any. And now I am going to send for one. I want you to send me what you send separate, not send with Mr Burber’s folks.

Charles and me don’t agree any better here than we did there and if you send me a box alone then there won’t be any trouble amongst us. And what I get I can eat and what the rest get they can keep and eat. I am now going to tell you what I would like to have and you can do just as you are mine to about sending them. I would like to have some butter, cheese, sugar, dried apples and what other dried sauce that you are mine to send, some flour and saleratus so that I can make some pan cakes and what other things that you are a mind to send there and anything that you could will come good. I don’t care what it is and I would like a box of gloves, vest and two pair of woolen socks and that is all the clothing that I want. My boots are middling good yet, only want taping. It costs 2 dollars to get a pair of boots taped here. I can’t get a good apple to eat here short of 5 cents apiece. The cheaper things here that we can get here is oysters. I can get all the oysters that I can back here for 10 cents a quart. I have bought a considerable many since I have been here. If we could only have some good butter to sauce them with they would go better.

Father, I will ask you for one more dollar in money. I expected to have drawn some money before this time but time but I have not and I have got to have something to buy my paper and stamps or I can’t write many more letters. Send me a good bottle of ink. I have got out and have to borrow. I won’t ask for only one more dollar in money. I am a going to send you some of the best oysters one of these days that ever you see or et. They catch them about one mile from camp. The boys are all well at present.

Write soon. From your son, Elisher Rose to father and mother Rose

I haven’t spent my money foolishly since I have been here
My respects to all inquiring friends.