1862 October 5 Camp Chase, Arlington Heights, Va.

                                             Sunday
                                        Arlington Hights
                                                Camp Chase Oct 5 [1862]

                                           
Dear Sister Helen,
                           Here it is Sunday
again and we have got a little time
to breathe and write – we have had
to work pretty hard for the last
week – we have drilled about all
the time from sun rise to sunset –
There is a Lieut here – one of McClellan
aids and he has kept us at work
pretty well – Col Wright is acting
Brigadeer Genl amd Adjt Brown
is acting asst Adjt Genl. so you
see there has been some promotions
in the Regiment – We have been

out on Inspection this Morning
but it was a Regimental instead
of Company Inspection and had
to hold those old knapsacks for
an hour in the hot sun – it has
been awful hot for a week or two
as hot as I ever saw it in July
in Conn but it will be cool evenings
by and by I guess - - *
                             Our Company went
down to the bridge Tuesday to
guard it and we shall go again
Tomorrow – we have some good times
down there for we have to search every
team and all the boxes and barrels
and we have all the apples and peaches
we want and we take our hooks and
lines and fish off this bridge and
we got 3 ducks last time   we put
a piece of meat on the hook and threw
it into the street and when the
duck swallowed it we just drew

him in and baited for another
and when we come across a hen
or anything in the eating line we
generally confiscate it – did you
read a piece in the N. H. Journal & Cs
about the ration that we draw
Stone our asst Commisary write two letters
a week for that paper and he tried
to make out that we have more
than we can eat of fresh meat
bread sugar etc and it isent [sic] true
about once a week we have a good
meal of fresh meat and good rice
and molasses but the rest of the
time we have to eat salt beef that
sometimes is stale and not fit to eat
and beans we have about every meal
but I cant eat them   I have lived on
them too long. – now don’t think that
we are starving for we have more than
we can eat of salt hoss and hard
crackers but I want to have you know

that we don’t have things quite
as nice as Stone  tries to make out
          I received two papers from Chas.
yesterday – rather expected a letter
last week but only got one from
Campbell..   Every thing is quiet in Camp
haven’t had any more marching orders
          Regiments are coming in all around us
again – we haven’t had any rain
since we left Washington   it is dreadful
dusty and dry here – I suppose the
leaves are beginning to fall in Conn
          Tell George that it is just not the time
to hunt Grey squirrels..
          I see by the papers this
morning that the Rebels have raised
the black flag   don’t know as it is
true or not but I guess we can raise
about a black a flag as they can
and can play the same game –
     That Proclamation rather stirs
them up – I wonder what Genl
thinks of it – how are all the
people of Meriden – is every thing
lovely – I shall expect a letter

[Howard continues his letter in the top margin on page one.]
from Chas this week
with all the news
I guess he has as much
time as I do and I
manage to answer all
my letters –
     This letter is rather
dirty but it can’t
be helped we are
dirty folks down
here although I
had a bathe in
the Potomac –
yesterday –
     Give my love to all
the folks and write
soon     Your brother
                     Jim

James H. Howard, 1844- of the 15th Connecticut

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12668