1862 February 11 Camp Zollicoffer

Camp Zollicoffer Feb 11

Dear Aunt

I seat
myself this morning to
write you a few lines
to let you know that
I am well and hope
you may be enjoying the
same blessing. have
written to you some
four letters since I was
at home last summer
and have not received
an answer from you
yet but I suppose It
is owing to the irregular-
ity of the mails. We have
had a f very wet winter

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here so far but I think
we will have some good
weather now as the past
few days have been clear
and warm. We are still
in our tent but we
have our hut built
and had expected to move
into it yesterday but the
wether is so fine we con-
cluded to stay in our
tent a while yet; the
tent is much warmer
than a house would be
We have a stove in our
tent and it keeps us
very comfortable. We have
had a very hard time

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since we left Centreville
and come into the Valley
almost all the time on
the march and that through
a mountainous country.
On the road to Romney
and at that place the
Yankees destroyed everything
that came in their way
There was one little town
about fourteen miles from
Romney that they burnt
the houses down and
killed all the stock that
that[sic] they could find they
shot one man that was
engaged in government
works and only wounded

[page 4]
him; they then took him
and laid him before he
fire and roasted him slowly
untill he died; then burnt
him up in the house.
In some places they killed
all the horses cattle and
hogs and piled them up
in one pile along the
roadside. This will I think
be visitited[sic] on their heads
in a tenfold proportion.
Enlisting is going on
rapidly in the regiment
there has 8 or 10 of our
company enlisted for the
war and more of them
talking of doing so. I have
not done so yet and will
not until I hear from
home. But as my paper is
about out I must close
by asking you to write
soon. Give my love to Aunt
Ann Uncle James family
and receive a large share
yourself T. M. Smiley

Thomas M. Smiley, Co. D, 5th Virginia
Infantry

MSS 1807, -a