1862 October 12 Post Hospital

                  Post Hospital Oct 12th
Dear Mother
                            I am the same
as when I last wrote the doctors
here are doing noting for
me and they say they cant
here, so I shall stay here
till the regt. goes into winter
quarters and then join them
Gov Andrew was here yesterday
looking after the sick and
found considerable fault
with the camp here and
the treatment of the men
so that the col. in charge
has given orders for all
the Mass. troops to be
removed to better & cleaner
quarters close by we are to
move tomorrow. Nothing
of importance for news

[page 2]
has occurred here that I
know of Every day carloads
of troops go by here on their
way to reinforce Sigel
who expects to fight soon
at Thoroughfare Gap where
he is going to keepe the
rebels from coming through
to Manasses then look
out for stirring times all
round 60,000 men up the
Peninsula in front of them
Sigel at Thoroughfare Gap
& McClellan in their rear
will give them hot work
to get back to Richmond
I think.  Homer wants to
know if we are in
tents now of course we are
where else does he suppose we
are in the tent I am in
there are 6 of the 22nd.
Tell Homer to look out

[page 3]
and not get caught at
any college pranks but
play as many as possible
with safety.  I am glad
to hear that Maria is
better hope by the time
this reaches you she will
be well and there will
be no more cases in the
family.  Tell Homer it
will be a good thing
for him to drill if
they have a drill club
as it will strengthen
the muscles of is arm
more than anything
else though he will find
it hard work at first
I was over to the 11th
the other day to see John
Jewitt his company did
not know he had been
discharged they said he

[page 4]
had gone to the hospital.
I think if our sergeant
read Carrie Bunces letter
he must have enjoyed
it amazingly.  What was
the mans idea of cutting
down all the trees on
Mrs Tenneys place
I should have thought
he would have left the
large oak I suppose the
Doctors old seat has
gone with the rest
You speak about it being
a year since I left the state
it has been a short year but
the hardest ear I ever put in
Love to Aunt Abby & all the
rest
From your aff. son
Wm Wallace


William Wallace Smith, Co. B., 22nd Massachusetts

MSS 15360