5th Maine Infantry - Brevet Brigadier General

Item LTR-8572

Description

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


Camp of the 5th Maine Regiment
Camp Franklin
December 1st, 1861

Dear wife,

I thought I would write you again today as it is Sunday in the camp and what I mean by that is it is very still for the ME 5th as they are always moving. It is rather a cold day, cloudy and windy. Looks likely to rain. My company is all pretty smart with the exception of one by the name of Nell from Rumford who is rather slim but he leaves here tomorrow for home as he has got his discharge. Dolloff is pretty smart. Will be here in camp this week. Riley is playing sick but I think he will come out of it one of these days. Charley is better and will go home as soon as his paper comes. I have applied for papers to recruit for my company but do not know that they will be accepted. If they are I may be at home the last of the week or first of next but I make no great calculation on it. But they all say that I ought to have a month to myself as I have done so much extra duty. I was then weeks alone without any officers and then had to do the work of the staff as a part of it. I expect it will be hard to get men now in Maine if it had not been hard, the Major would brought on more. Also I expect the Maine 5th does not stand the best that ever was but I think she is the best regiment that has yet left Maine. I have not received any letter from you since the middle of the week and the one you wrote last Sunday the 24th instant. So you see I have but little to write upon. I would say that I am as well as ever and stiff continues to flare up. I now weight the most I ever did. I was weighted yesterday and weighed 155 lbs so you see that I am still on the gain. I sometimes feel as if I weigh two hundred but that is only when I am Field Officer or something of that sort. But to be honest I never was better or enjoyed better health and boys are all in good spirits and I think the most of them are contented. I want about twenty five more to fill up my company and then it would be the best company in the Army. I am expecting to go to Washington to be at the meeting of Congress. I am expecting to have Old Abe deliver his message Sunday evening. I just received yours of Nov 27th. I was very glad to hear from you also to hear you were so well and getting a long well. You write you are impatient to hear from M & Scribner. They are here still. I have not had his trial yet. I hardly know what they will do with Scribner and as far more it is hard telling what they will do with him. I should not dare tell what will be done with him. I hear tonight something that looks a little hard about him. As for him and Major Scamman there was not much fuss made. The Major had to go on picket and I stayed in camp and was field officer of the day and took charge of the Camp about all the time he was out. You say you want me to come home so the Land Shark of Bethel shall know I can leave. I could have gone home before if I had drove the thing. But some of the officers did not want me to go so I have stopped till now but I shall go home the last of this week unless there is a prospect of a fight. But I never shall go at such a time but I do not think there will be any fight here on the Potomac.

You may think I am crazy by this letter. There is some five or six in my camp that act like the devil but after they leave I will finish this. I did not blame you at all in not sending on anything to us but I thought the people of Bethel could have sent on something. But if I go home I shall try to get up a box of stuff for the boys and fetch it back with me. I hope you will not send anything now. Wait so to have it come so they boys will have a Christmas Dinner. As that is a great day here in VA but if the Goreber folks have got up anything send it along as it will come acceptable. You write you should have sent something by now if your ha d known when they were coming. I will see them when I come by fetching them something. I am sorry you and Agnes do not get along well. I hope you will get over all your troubles before I get there. As for the nasty woman of Alexandria and also those that have followed the regiment I think I have kept clear of as I never spoke to any of them but the Mrs. Stewart of Lewiston and at the time I spoke to her it was when we first came to camp at Burch Hill but she has fallen from grace since then I think. As she is now in Alexandria keeping a fancy room. One of the men in this regiment pays her board and pays her room. But I have not been in town for the last two weeks. I am glad the little ones do not forget me. I want to see them very much and I think I shall in a few days. I will send Halley a paper tomorrow and fetch something for Chasin. You ask if Ms. Bartlett is making money. I do not know but she is a good woman. I think if she was here alone it would be different but she is with her Husband and she has to keep straight. You ask if T. Hammond got his discharge. He did but he did not till he was very low and then did not mean to go home. But if he had stayed a few days later he never would have gone alive. I hope I shall find him out when I get home. Harris Cozens, his wife’s uncle is here in camp. He was here tonight. I think he is after some office. I see men here from Maine almost every day. It is now almost nine and I will finish this in the morning.

It would do you good to hear our band play. It is now playing beautifully a few bars for my camp. It is the best band on this side of the Potomac. Will close this in the morning. So good night.

Monday morning
It is cold here this morning. Froze some here last night but I sleep well but laid a little cold. Jimmy has got breakfast about ready. We are going to have Tripe, potatoes, bread, butter, coffee. I cannot write more this time.

Yours.

C. S. Edwards