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Regiment: 1st U.S. Volunteers Sharpshooters
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
Camp of Instruction
Berdans U.S.S.S.
Washington D.C. Feb. 5th 1862
My own Mary.
A beautiful day warm and sunshing
to be repaid perhaps to-morrow by rain and cold disa-
greeable Southern weather well we can aford to have a week
nasty weather for this one day. and very likely we will get
it for there is no sweet. without its bitter ten fold.
I believe
you are a letter ahead and many thanks although I do not
like to be any ones debtor in such matters. yet your letters are
so acceptable that I would willingly bear the knowledge that
I owed you an extra one every little while. Do you skate
any. it is good exercise and is accounted quite an accomplish-
ment if you have a little liesure time to employ in that
way. probably you would never be sorry of using it in
harming the ast. that is provided you got no
broken head
bruises or broken head. (or broken heart) I hope you
improve all the chances of sleighrides you get and hope you
will get lots of chances. wish I was there long enough to
have one good one.
Last Sunday night after
[ ? ] ten and from each co.
in the Reg. vise were ordered out and made to take Colts
five shooting Muskets which were brought up for the
Second Reg. and had to be out all night. under arms
they arrested one Captain and five hospital nurse the Capt.
excuse they supposed he was going to do all he could not to
have his men take the Muskets – by the way they are called
Rifles but they are a Rifled Musket being made like his
Revolvers but not as good as they are. The men still have
the guns and are ordered to be ready to turn out any minute
supposed that they will be needed to quell mutiny. is’nt
that a little rough for Sharp-shooters men who enlisted
to help put down a Rebellion. the most gigantic in its
proportion of any which ever threatened to undermine
any Government. Today enough of those guns came up
to arm the Second Reg. and Col. Berdan says they have got
to take them. Big Words. well see to-morrow how true
they are. for that is the day they have determined to try
the question.
Monday we had a good snow storm about
four inches fell but it is gone now and mud, mud,
mud, mud; MUD!!! no use trying the English
language wont express it.
Perhaps when you get acquainted with Brewers Mary
you and she will not agree as well as Brewer and I do.
We have one
[ ? ] in our squad, Dexter Fields.
A woman hater and only twenty. still he has a Bridget
only writes to her once in a while. or as he says when he
has any thing to tell her. taking his word for it he has no
sympathy whatever for the female race. yet if actions are
good for any thing he fell in love with a doctress who took
care of him when he was sick awhile ago in the City. though
he allows it is not so.
Brewer, Kinman, and I have is
are going to have quite a time. Ill commence with the be-
ginning. Some time ago one Sunday when our washer
woman that has washed for us ever since we have been here
brought
up up our clothes. her daughter about fifteen or six-
teen years old. came up with her. I was writing to you at
the time but she was so pretty that I
stopped stoped and looked
at her Brewer was enchanted and took his pen and poured
out his
[ ? ] treasures on paper to her. but he dared not
give it to her and so I told him if he would let me read it I
would hand it to her. the bait took and the girl got the letter.
We have not heard from her since but I have to get
laughed at pretty often about it. Since then we have found
out that they are not educated at all and it is very doubtful if she could read what
Byron wrote last night we were
[ ? ] about it. though he go back last Sun-
day two younger girls and a boy about fourteen came up with the clothes they are
smart looking children and if educated would be smart men and women. Well
we said we would make the old lady a proposition to send the children to school
that we wound pay for tuition and books if she would send them regular to school
we each offered to give ten dollars apeice toward it next pay day and they
said I should go and see the old lady about it. what do you think of
that. we think we may just as well spend our money that way as in nick
knacks. I am going to talk to her about it the next time I see her
With a kiss and love good night
Gardner
It is a beautiful moonlight eve would you were with me
[On Envelope:]
Miss Mary J. Baxter
Grand Rapids
Michigan
