1863 February 6 Camp near Falmouth

 [from the "War Journal" of George Hazen Dana, as he compiled it at a later date from war time diaries and letters] 

                                                  
                                                           Camp near Falmouth
                                                                 Feb. 6th 1863.
.   .   .  .   Why! sleeping in the mud, and
waking up in the morning with one eye plastered
with that composition from rolling off one’s
blanket, is a ludicrous affair, after all, when it’s
over, and it gives one a hearty relish for the
comforts of a leaky tent, and a blaring fire,
both of which I have tonight.        My paper  is

[   In some parts of this letter, the writing is almost illeg-
ible, because of the rain drops which had blotted it.]

in the driest corner I can find, but the drops
come so thick, that I reckon I’ll give it up
till tomorrow, and retire beneath the folds of
my rubber blanket, under which my bed is
made, and as dry as toast too; and I’ve a blazing
fire; but it drips in too fast, so I must to bed,
and will finish tomorrow.        I am going to
send this, though, as an answer to “why don’t
you write oftener?”        I will write more to-
morrow, if it does not rain.        Oh! dear, right
on my pen!

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 5130