1862 October 29 Camp Stetson, Washington, D. C.

[The stationery is imprinted with an engraving of the U.S. Capitol and the words: “18th Regiment Maine Volunteers, Company ___”]              

         Company K
         October the 29      1862
              Camp Stetson  DC
              Dear Brother
i now take my pen in
hand to answer your kind
letter which i received last
night.  I was glad to hear
from you and to know
that you was wel
at home.
you spoke of things
that has been said when
we are were togather but
i don’t want you to think

[page 2]
any thing of what has
been said but let it al
pas.  I am sure that I
should never thought any
thing more of what has
been said.  I tel you george
you don’t very often find
a family of brothers
that has got along
to smoothe togather as we
have so don’t let that
trouble your mind at all
They say that we are
going to Alexandria this
winter.  O george I saw
Gered Pike yesterday and
I saw aman that brot
him from the City and
had a long talk with
him about the war and
he told me that gen
Lee is on the retreat
and Mc Clelden is on the

[page 3]
Advance And the cry is once
more on to Richmond
so he said and i  hope
it is so for I believe
if‘they will try they can take
the city and distroy the
Reble government al at
once   they say they are
not going to wait for
warm weather this time
but are going to push
right ahead and do it
up * I saw a Comp of
mounted Cavelry this
morning the first i have
seen with horses since i
come out here – I
saw two boys to day
that swam the potomac
and run away from the
121 new york regt
and I might took them

[page 4]
but i would not take
them for they wanted
to get away so bad
i thought i would let
them go
   but now i must close
for I have got to go
out on battalion dril
and it is time now
write soon as you
can
           Good bye from
              your brother
            Ambrose A Huntley

Ambrose A. Huntley, musician and corporal, Co. K, 1st Maine Heavy Artillery

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 828