1861 Sept[ember] 9 Camp of the fifth M[ain]e Regt

Respected parents and friends

I was much pleased
to recieved that letter bearing date of Sept. 4th in
f which four of you had an interest we all had a good
time reading & all thoes that it concerned. I have just
been writing to Aron and, as I have a little more time to
spare I thought I would write a few lines more you may
think by what I wrote to Ann that I was sick but
I am not my stomach got foul and I took some
castor oile I have been excused, from duty two days
and, I am all right now. I see by you letters that
you think we are worse off than we really are
it is true we are deprived of many things we could
get at home such as pies and cakes that Ruth
spoke of I should like to be at home where I could
get such things but I am willing to give them
all yup to save the union and constitution from
being destroyed, there is plenty of nice victuls gets
into our camp more or less every day which we could
get by paying for it but as I get enough to eat

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and good enough I do not wish to buy
our places to sleep are comfortable I have a bed sack
full of straw and two blankets and overcoat to sleep
under although it is cold here nights I manage to
keep warm you know how we lived at Portland
we live the same here only we get more to eat
we get baked beans three times a week a plenty
of fresh rate soft bread and beef coffee cheese molasses sugar
and we have a mess of boiled garden sauce sometimes
and a little butter once in a while I tell you our
lot is not so hard as you probably think it is I
should be perfectly contented if new you could
manage to get along well at home as the circum-
stances are I know it is very hard for you
but I am here and cannot help you and you
must try and make the best of it I wish you
could have a little more firmness of mind so as not
to fret so much about me it will do me no
good, and perhaps injure your own health in which
almost everything depends I want you to use
the mony I send home for anything to make comf-
ortable you know better what you need, than I do

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I shall try to take care of my own health and not
wory any more than I can help and try to think
every thing is for the best The war news here is not
very excitable the rebels tried to cross the Potomack a
day or two ago but they had to go back from whence
they came with some loss on their side one wounded
on our side it is reported that the rebels have left
Manassas we do not know which way they are going yet
but probably we shall in a few days at most our brigade
has been strengthened by the arrival of a company of cavelry
80 strong, and a company of flying artilary with 110
horses and 10 guns I tell you it is a splendid company
one of the 3rd V.I. boys is to be s[h]ot for
sleeping on his post it is hard, but I suppose it is
just. our new fort is going on briskly the brestwork
abaout half a mile long is finished, we are expecting to
move up there soon with our whole brigade I think
the people out here are looking for a speedy close of
the war. I want you to tell the home cowards as
they are called out here to clean the rebels out of
Maine or we shall think they are really cowards.
The boys are all getting along finely I suppose we

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are getting 25cts extry per day for every day we work
and they all work every day they get a chance too
We have been under orders to march some time
but we go to bed as thoug nothing had happened
every night I think there is no danger of the rebels
coming this way wih[sic] any force for they know
better than to do it they know we are to strong
for them here I have written some news to Ann
which you will find out our paymaster is coming
here tomorrow and I think we shall get some
money then

Give my respects to all
Enquiring friends

Hiram M. Cash

[Private, Co., K, 5th Maine Infantry]
MSS 12916