1862 September 19 Camp Chase, Arlington Heights

                                                 Camp Chase, Sept. 19th [1862]
                                                          Arlington Hights

My Dear Sister Helen,                                                                
                             I got your last
long letter yesterday afternoon and
one from Campbell with it – but
the envelope of your’s got ripped
first I noticed – Well we are
back to old Camp Chase as you
see by the heading – I wrote you
Tuesday eve as we were packing up
ready to march – which you have probably
received by this time – we had no
Idea then where we were going
but started Wednesday morning across
long bridge headed for Richmond
but when we got as far as our old

camp ground somehow or other
we heard the order – Battalion
File – right – Halt – and there
we were and we haven’t had
orders to go further yet – but
we expect every day to get orders
from Gen Casey to go back to
Washington for he is entitled to
our Regiment as his body guard
and he says that he is going
to have the 15th any how and
if we can’t come back then – he
will just change his Head Quarters
      He think a great deal of this
Regt   says it is the best one
he has seen – (and he has seen
a few) the troop all call us
“Casey’s pet lambs” and every [-]
very much – there is a great
change in the appearance of things
on the Hights here   the ground
is all taken up by troops
there are 30,000 men within
three miles of here – and there

are entrenchments and Rifle pits
between all the forts for miles
there are 5 forts within sight
and plenty more within range
we are within 12 miles of the
Rebels and are in hopes that
they will try to come this way
     They drove in our “pickets” 2
miles beyond Fairfax Seminary
and the steeple of it is in sight
     Will show you a little how the
Conn troops are situated around us

[Howard here does a sketch of his camp ]

     I wish you could be here some evening
and just take a look at the camps
around us when they are all lighted
up – I never saw any thing so
grand – talk about your Atlantic
Cable torch light procession  “they ain’t
no where”.  It is a perfect ocean
of lights in every direction and the bon fires and
signals from the different forts are gay –
I tell you – and then at bed time
to hear the drums and bands of
Infantry – the bugles of cavalry and
the evening guns of Artillery
It makes a person feell [sic] like
War -      We have been out
skirmishing this morning – there
is a Lieut of the Regular Army
and one of Gen Buell’s signal corp
that has got up a new kind
of drill and we are the first
company that have ever tried
it – and he is drilling us
and is going to have Gen Halleck
review us next week and see
what he thinks of it –

[Howard’s letter next picks up in the top margin on page one.]
we are pretty well drilled
already and I guess
that we shall be able
to please (‘old Brain)’
     We have great trouble
to get water here
     there are so many
     troops around here
     that all the wells
     and springs are
     crowded and we
     always have to wait
     about ½ an hour for
     our turn –
          We have got our
     tents all up now
     and things quite   [end of writing in margin]

comfortable – there are six in our tent          [page 5]
now but we will get rid of one of
them soon as there is a scarcity of
room – I tent with Geo Flinch –
Aaron – Wm Allen and two New
Hampshire boys that worked at Hanover[?]
but I guess they will both leave and
then we will get Eugene Little to
take their places – We sleep   in
a bed –spoon fashion, and when one
wants to turn over he gives the order
and we all – about face – we have
very good feed as a general thing
but once in a while we have to
worry down rather tough fodder we
have fresh meat twice a week
soup twice   rice twice and pork and
beans  (that is for dinner – beans –rice-
salt beef etc  just as it happens for breakfast
& supper and we have coffee three
times a day and have had soft bread

so far except once – we manage
to get along if we are there in time
but if we happen to be a little late
we have to suck our thumbs or
go to the sutler’s
          Sunday we have
Inspection of arms at 9 oclock
Devine [sic] service at 11 – Dress Parade
at 5 oclock and we have the
rest of the time to ourselves
so Sunday is the day that most
of the letters are written –
     the average number of letters
written every day is 300 but on
Sunday there is 700 – we don’t
have much time to write during
the week for what little time
we have outside of drill hours
we have to clean our guns –
eat – and do our washing –
     I wash my own clothes and
dishes and have got to be quite
a Housekeeper – tell Biddy that
I shan’t need her services and

that she had better stay in Meriden
for all coming down South
     I suppose you begin to have
frosts now don’t you but it
is very hot here except nights
then it is just right – Oh how
I wish I could have some of those
tomatoes – we can get most every
other kind of fruit here, splendid
peaches and water melons are
very pleanty –  About those Army
shoes – I dont think you had better
send them as these that I have
are the easiest shoe leather that I
every had on and my feet are
all right   don’t trouble me atall
but if I had a pair of slippers
I could wear them after dress
Parade till I went to bed –
     Please send the other things at once

and I would like that pair of wollen
stockens that are marked H as
I have lost one pair of my
army ones and have nothing to

change – About that pistol
I will say again that I should
like it but Father can do as
he pleases about sending it
     Aaron is going to have his any-
way – Oh Thunder there goes
that “Fall in Co. A” so I will
stop”
          Just came in from drill
am tired dusty and thirsty but
will finish this before I do any
thing – The 20th Regt have been
out on Battalion drill just at
the right of us and another Regt
on the left and further to the
left there was a Battery of Flying
Artillery drilling – so you see
we are all awake ready for
the rebels – I had a letter
from Seth a day or two ago says he
is well and that he got my last letter
dated July but had not heard from me

[Howard’s letter continues in the margin (on page 5-6).]
before for most
a year – He
thinks that
he has got
just about
6 months
more to fight
I shall write
to him Sunday
I guess shall
write home
again then
and to Elbe
also – tell
Geo that I got
his long letter
and that I
will answer
as soon as
I get time

I can hear firing off to the right – about in the direction of Harpers
Ferry
I must
stop now
love to all
     Your
     brother
     Jim


James H. Howard, 15th Connecticut

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12668