1862 April 9 Point Pleasant, Va.

Point Pleasant, Va.
March April, 9

Dear Friend:

I received a letter
from you some time since
which I will now proceed
to answer. I should have
answered it sooner, but as
we were constantly expecting
marching orders, I thought I
would delay writing until
I could tell you our destina-
tion. But as we are now
apparently as far from leaving
as we were when we first
came here, I will now write
to you and you can send
your answer to this place &
I will be likely to receive it.
Your letters will always be
very welcome, as coming from

[page 2]
a locality where I have spent
a very short purtion [sic] of my
life and from a friend who
I learned to esteem. Should
there be any seeming lack of
punctuality in my answers
you will attribute it to the
fact that a military camp is
not the best place in the world
for writing and that the mails
in this part of the country are
very irregular.

Spring has finally made its
appearance here. Welcome Spring
to all the sons of Mars. We have
been wading through mud knee
deep all winter, and it seems
quite a novelty to walk on
terra firma again.
J. C. Fremont has superceded
Gen. Rosecrans in this department
and made his headquarters at
Wheeling, and I hope some=

[page 3]
thing may be done this Spring.
There is a rumor that we
will go to Tennessee. For the
last two weeks we have been
drilled almost to death. Squad
drill from 6 to 7 A.M. Company
drill from 9 to 11 A.M. Batalion
Drill from 2 to 4 1/2 P.M. Dress
Parade from 5 to 5 1/2 P.M. and
now non=commissioned officers
school from 7 to 8 in the evening.
If we don't soon become a well
drilled Regiment, we ought to.
I wrote a letter to Uncle Conrad
some time since and received
no answer. Will you remind
him of it. My respects to all
the friends, and compliments
to the ladies. Write soon and
let it be a long letter

Your friend
D.R.P. Shoemaker
Co. E. 11th
Reg O.V.I.U.S.A.

[page 4]

P.S. The papers you were kind
enough to promise will be
thankfully received. We get
up small sheet here sometimes
called the "Eleventh Ohio" I
will send you a copy of the
next number.
D.R.P.S.

MSS 11395