1862 January 4 Cavalry Camp Leesburg

[letter of Edwin R. Page from January 2 continues]

Saturday night--I intended to have
finished this last night, my darling,
but I had to ride up to Wheatland
yesterday, about 10, (or as I went by
Waterford 12) miles above Leesburg,
and when I returned, about night
I had such a headache I had to go
to bed as soon as I could lie down, and
without writing any, I had a right
cold ride, especially going up, I dined
at Genl Wrights. The place where

[page 3]
I told you they had such fine stock,
he was not at home, but his wife,
who is a very nice lady entertained
us very pleasantly. Wm. Graham
was with me, I have had a notion
of buying a young mare from him
she is a very good animal, but I don't
think, from what he said yesterday
evening after I came back to Lees=
burg, that he is willing to take
$200 for her, and I am not willing
to give more, the weather is quite
cold now, and winter seems to have
come at last, the ground is white,
though it is barely covered with
snow, I have been busy today
fixing my tents for cold weather,
I have put a frame of thick plank
all around the walls on the outside
about three feet high, which makes
it much more comfortable, I have
two tents together opening into each
other, in the front one is a stove, and

[page 4]
this is my sitting room, parlour and
office, the inner one is the chamber,
if you were to look inside you would
see a bed and bedstead, the latter made
of undressed and rather coarse planks
nailed together, rather rough but
pretty substantial manufactured
principally by Joe, it is a sort of
a box concern with a turn of hay
in it, covered over with a cloth
which bears a remote resemblance
to a mattress, this is the place
where I lie every night and oc-
casionally sleep, on the whole
however I am pretty comfortably
fixed more so perhaps than you might
suppose, althouggh our camp is
in a very bleak and exposed situ=
ation, selected more with a
view to its contiguity to Leesburg
than to comfort and convenience
otherwise, as there is no mail leaving
in the morning I will write again tomorrow
goodnight my darling wife

Edwin R. Page, 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Virginia Cavalry

MSS 8937