1862 December 9 near Falmouth, Va.

Near Falmouth, Va. Decr 9th 1862
Dear Miss Annie
I received your letter of the
14th November since our arrival  here &
some time after it was written, tho' this
is a fault which we do not complain
of now, having become thankful if we
get them at all.  Our first mail
received while here, contained my
accumulated correspondence for four
weeks (excepting those which have
not come to hand yet) and I felt
very much as if I had "got out of
the wilderness."  During that time
I had no news from Philada except
an occasional newspaper,and I
used to regularly look at the local
items and obituary column for fear
something might have happened to
some of my friends.  Latterly we
have received daily mails & hope

[page 2]
we shall continue to do so.  I received
a letter from Annie Duhring which
gave me full particulars of the
"Clark party."  Of course I regretted
that circumstances prevented me from
enjoying it with the rest of the
bridal party.  She asks whether I
have lost my enjoyment of such light
pleasures as dancing.  Perhaps if
you or she could have seen Ned
Bowers & me on sundry occasions
attempting a galop on our parade
ground at our Poolesville Camp
to a splendid tune that our band
play for a quickstep, you would not
think so.  Perhaps more recently we
have not thought so much of such
things, but I think that when we
get home again we will take to
it quite naturally.  I am not
surprised at the pity you express
for the hardships soldiers undergo,

[page 3]
as it [is] very natural you should feel
so, but I think that very often people
in the army complain of things which
they have no right to make complaint
of.   I can truly say that until the
last five or six days I have not
suffered any real hardship.  We
have had many inconveniences it
is true but nothing more.  I have
never suffered from hunger, under-
gone any exposure which injured
my health, or privations of any kind
which I couldn't forget in twenty four
hours.  The last few days have
been pretty hard upon us.  In a
near Brigade to ours, three men
froze to death the night of the snow
storm, and we all came a near
as would be pleasant.  I am off
duty to day for the first time since
I left home with a swollen ankle
the result of wearing wet shoes for

[page 4]
(snow and slush) (three days in the)
but I intend to be well by sunset
tomorrow, as we have just got our
orders since supper, to be ready
to move at that time with every
available man in line for a
ten miles march & plenty of ammu-
nition.  This probably means " cross
the River", and I must go with
Co F, even if I hobble on two canes
as I did to day.  Candidly I hope
something will turn up to pre-
vent the movement.  After spending
nearly three weeks here we have
got ourselves, by orders from the
proper sources, in some approach
to comfortable quarters.  To night,
for the first time, Captain & I sit
by a fire in our habitation.  Our
nondescript hut or tent consists of a
log hut ten feet square & three feet
high over which is pitched a
canvass roof, the ends closed with

[page 5]
the same and all the chinks filled
up with cedars and mud.  To cap
the climax we have a chimney place
built of sods in which is now burn-
ing a roaring fire and we are
really comfortable.  After weathering
the bitter storm of last week, are
we to yield all this with only
one days enjoyment of it?
Seriously speaking, these forward
movements tho' such a favorite ones
with our friends at home are not
very popular with us.  Unless we
remain long enough in a place to
erect huts, our only shelter from the
cold is a small piece of ordinary
brown sheeting for each man.  Per-
haps our friends are not aware of
this.  I cannot think they are entirely
heartless.  Our camp at night resounds
with the worst "grave yard coughs"

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I ever heard & not a day passes
without a dead march in our own
brigade. To night five men are
lying in the two adjoining regi-
ments awaiting burial, all deaths
resulting from disease caused by
exposure.  I predict that nine tenths
of the deaths this winter will not be
from rebel bullets.  But changing the
subject to a less gloomy one, I am glad
to hear that all our Germantown friends
are well.  When Ned Bowen & I
return & meet them again, if they
attempt to play the Blue stocking on
us, we shall probably withdraw our-
selves to some secluded corner and
discuss our experiences in Virginia together,
which I know will always be an
interesting topic to us.
                      Very truly yr Friend,
                           J. T. Lea
I have received
another belligerent message from Miss Bowen

Joseph Tatnall Lea, 1840-1916, Co. F., 114th Pennsylvania to his future wife Anna Anderson Cabeen

MSS 11412