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Regiment: 1st U.S. Volunteers Sharpshooters
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: James H. Lane
Camp of Instruction
Berdans U.S.S.S
Washington D.C. January 11th 1862
My Own Loved Mary
Sunday again having nasty mud-
dy nothing to do. and nothing to do it with we have no drill
now nothing to do but guard duties and last Friday was
the first time I have been on guard since the twenty sixth
of October our Sergeants were all drunk or away that
day so I had act as Sergeant of the guard we had four
NonCommission Officers drunk and they should be
[ ? ]
ced to the rank but our officers get drunk so much
themselves that no punishment awaits a drunkasd let
them run however if ever we can on the battle field
I do not fear but it will
ever be all square.
I can not
write I have no taste for it cannot write straight have
been writing to Sister Sarah and had to blot out a few
word and sometimes a whole line all through it I
do not feel like doing anything but lay in my tent on
the blankets and think of old times.
Gen. James H. Lane
is going to have an independent command of from thirty
to forty thousand troops to operate in Missouri and
any other place he pleases it is said that he wants
two companies of our Superior Organization to
go with him if we can only go you may hope to hear a good
report from us. if we can
go our reputation hope to regleem
(there it is again) have such a chance is that would be
to we
would soon redeem ourselves, but if we do not have such a chan
before long we will not even amount to a great
sum sum
One of our boys are going to start for Michigan on furlough
of twenty days I will send all my letters by him to you though he
may get these sooner than this does his name is Norton Fitch
he is a corporal, by the way I have resigned my corporalship
for the reason that four of our Non Commissioned Officers
got drunk the other day and they did nothing with them and I
did not think I was capable of being in the same class with them
my officers have not said whether they would accept it or not.
Well I have written some more that I had written before but
let it go. Billy McNiel expects his father here soon with his co-
Billy is Adjutants Clerk, good for him
I want [ ? ]
to write much more this time am glad you are getting a
little acquainted with Brewers Mary. one of the last letters he
got he got some bad news from her but what it was he would
not tell me it was nothing in regard to her health for she was
well but Brewer said she had better be dead you need not
tell her that you know any thing about it but I would like to know
what it was. By the way you will get ten dollars from me as you
got the last which please accept with much love and a kiss,
Good Bye, Gardner
[On Envelope:]
Wm Mitchell
Miss Mary J. Baxter
Grand Rapids
Michigan
(Box 430)
