1863 February 5 across the Rappahannock from Fredericksburg

        

                   Head Quarters 15th Regt C.V.
              Camp opposite Fredericksburg
                       (No 20)          Feby 5th  [1863]
Dear Brother George.                      
                                       I just received
your letter No 13 this evening and
am going to answer it right away
as we received marching orders
this evening and I may not have
another chance very soon – The
9th Army Corps is ordered to report
at Fortress Monroe so that our
Regt will go with to rest,  we
shall start just as soon as it is
pleasant as it has been raining
and snowing for 3 or 4 days and
is very stormy yet but we shall take
transports at Aquia Creek probably
and have a puking old voyage
down but I like the idea very

well any thing to get out of this
awful miserable place but we
had got very nicely quartered here
so that we were quite comfortable
but I am glad we are going
into a little warmer climate
I have a great desire to see
Fortress Monroe and now I have
got a chance to go and Uncle
Sam to pay my expences [sic].  Phil
Chapin Col’s orderly left Camp
on a furlough of 10 days Monday
morning and will stop at
the Bank before he returns
this movement put a stop to
all further furloughs for the
present     I dident [sic] know but
that I should get one and
just come home for a week or
so but it is all up now for
the present.   We have had a
great deal of bad weather

lately and it has been dreadful
muddy but the ground is frozen
up pretty tight now only to
stay so for a day or two and
then thaw out and make all
the more mud..    Eugene is
down at Aquia Creek in the
General Hospital there.   I heard
that he was clerk in the
hospital but haven’t heard from
him yet – wrote him the
other day.        Tell Father to
hurry up my boots and send
them as soon as possible
   Tell Johnson that those said
Gloves belong to a Mr. J. H. Howard
that has gone to the war just
where he ought to be,, but let
he take them if you want to.
    How do you like the organ
tell me all about it in your
next letter     is it in a good

nice frame and all about it
     How is every thing in the old
town?  How does Fathers school
get along?   Did Hen Wilcox [?]
get a letter from me,  yes
ask him.
      Nothing else to say
this time.
     love to all – in a big
hurry – Your affect
                        brother
                            Jim

James Howard, 15th Connecticut

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12668