Click here for this soldier’s biography:
https://micivilwar.com/authors/winchell-edward-a/
Regiment: 2nd Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: Israel B. Richardson
Camp near Fort Lyons Nov 4th 61
Dear Bro Add
I received your welcome
letter yesterday and at the same time I
received one from Uncle Geiger. My last
letter to you was so small I will
try and make up for it this time.
I dont know how it it is but I
write worse every time I dont believe
you can read this without spelling it
out. Last Thursday we were mustered
for pay and I suppose we will be
paid in a week or two. There is but
very little news about camp worth
writing so you must excuse the letter
if it is dull. There is one thing and
that is we draw potatoes and hominy
the hominy I do not like but as for
the potatoes I could never get tired
of them we have them three times
a week they are a great improvement
One half hour later just took
dinner it was a very expensive
one it consisted of pea soup and boiled
fat pork and bread and for desert
I had a piece of bread and some raw
fat pork with vinegar and peper
it went of very pleasant George S
Williams who is now a sergeant took
dinner with me or I with him
I do not know which how do you
think you would like to be here
to dine with me once in a while
There is one thing which makes me
think that you would not like to
be a soldier and that is that you would
not like to get up so early we get up
before sun rises Sundays
counted in. Uncle said in his letter that
he went over for you to take a walk
at half past nine oclock on a Sunday
morning and that you thought it
was too early. I thought before I came
that it would not be so hard to
get up when we did not have a bed to
get to get out of but I find that it
is just the same we hate to get up but
since I have been a corporal I have to
get up and wake up the boys when the
drum beats. I am in the same squad
with George Williams and we sleep
together. I saw Frank Davenport the
other day but not to speak to him
he came over to our camp and he
saw Benny Peters and he asked
for me and the boys told him that
I had gone to Alexandria but I
was in my tent all the time but
I found out where he encamped
and am a going over to se him
it is about three miles from
our camp he has a horse and wears
a gold band around his cap
he is not as tall as I am I think he
would make a better loking officer
if he was a little taller he looks just
the same as he used to and I guess he is as good
So the ninth regiment has gone
to Kentucky I hear. What did Uncle
Mont think about Ben going I
suppose he thought the same as
mother that if his mind was
made up to go that there was not
much use to try to stop him.
I wish that you would learn his
address and send it to me so that
I can write to him and find
out how things are a going on
in Kentucky now dont think
I mean dont forget because then
I can find out what there are a doing
there and let them know what
we are a doing here.
I dont think we are a going to have
much to do here I dont know
wheather we are a going to march
or not and there is no way to
tell except that I do not se what we
are drilling with knapsacks for
if we are not a going to march
Six O’clock P.M. I had to stop writing
to go on battalion drill with knapsacks
we drill from three oclock until
half past four when we have dress
parade which lasts until the sun
goes down when we are dismissed we
have supper after which we have
to wait until nine o’clock which seems an age fall out for roll call and then we
are at liberty to go to bed. It is cold that
we have fireplaces in all of our squads
which makes it quite comfortable.
We just experienced one of the hardest
storms I ever saw it commenced
to rain on Friday night and continued
during the night when day came so
came more rain and with it a
very heavy wind which increased in
fury untill it blew a perfect gale
it leveled a goodly number
of our tents which have become so
worn that they are not worth much
now we expect new ones every day
but do not know what kind they are
to be but I hope they will be the
Sibley tent because we can build a fire
in the centre and the smoke will ascend
through the top they are a round tent
and have but one pole which is about
two thirds the height of the tent and then
three iron legs come to the ground
with a chain a hanging from the pole
to hang kettles on. I think we will
eather get that kind of a little tent
which only holes four. The way we kept
our tent from being blown down was
this we got a long pole and took an old
frying pan and beat on the end of it
and braced it against the side of the
tent towards which the wind blew
and then put braces again the poles
and got long some crotches and stacked
down the ropes and then the old thing
came near coming down as it was
it was a raining all of the time
and one side of it tent was a perfect
mud puddle but on the other side it
was not so bad but just at dark it
commenced to pour down in torrents
and it came through the tent like fun
and I thought it was time for me
to leave so George Williams and
I took our knapsacks and started to try
and find a place to sleep (a greater
part of the regiment had gone before)
we did not take the road and for that
reason we got in to the mud and wet
a great deal more than we would if we
had. After wandering around for
about a half an hour we came to an
old house where we had some pickets
stationed while there we heard of a
barn not far off where we could stay
so we went and asked the man and
he said certainly we could stay so he
lit a candle and took us out to the
barn and which was filled with corn
stalks he held the lamp untill
we had got our blankets spread and
then he went away and locked the
barn and and there we were for the
night and I tell you we slept sound
the next morning the sun shone bright
and there was not any wind.
When we first started we meant to go
to Alexandria but Hunting Creek was
swolen so that we could not get across
in the morning there was three
colored men tryed to cross in a wagon
but when they got part way across they
became frightened and attempt to turn
around when the wagon upset and one
of the boys and a horse and two pigs and
the wagon all drowned. On the same day
the was a drunken soldier run over by
a loaded government wagon and severely
if not mortaly wounded another thing
happened which come near resulting
fataly a wagon with some soldiers in it
got stoped in the middle of the creek
and could hardly get out
It is very near roll call and I do
not know weather I will be able to
finish this tonight or not.
Our camp is not far from the
Potomac so some times we go
fishing we catch small sun
fish, perch, shiners and eels which
we take no matter how small
and cook them. By the time I
get home I will be quite a cook.
I have not been able to get to
Mt. Vernon as yet and I do not know
when I will get that but I hope
I will sometime.
We send sixteen men and a
corporal to work on fort Lyons
which is the bigest fort this side
of the Potomac and is to mount
sixty guns there are about fourteen
already mounted and I tell you
there are monster siege guns
which carry five miles and does
execution I believe thire is
one rifle cannon which will carry
seven miles to do execution I tell
you they are big ones. Our Col. is not
near so strict as he was at first but
he is very strict yet. Gen.
Richardson say that if we stay here
this winter he will move
us in to the woods and let us build log
huts and make our selves
comfortable thire is a nother report
that we are a going to Alexandria
to spend the winter but I do
not know whether it is so or not
Nov. 5
th I could not finish this last
night so it will make it one day
latter but I suppose that it will
be past as acceptable when it reaches
you. There is one more thing which has
been done which affords a great deal
and that is that the Gen. by his
influence got ticks for us and now
we have straw beds to sleep on I
never knew how to apreciate a straw bed
before. The pickets have just came in
and are making so much noise that
I can hardly write. When I was in
Detroit I weighted thirty pounds
but now I weigh forty-one I think
that is pretty good considering dont you
Since I have been corporal I do not have
it so hard I do not have to go on guard
near so often for one thing and I do not
have to dig on forts
When I am detailed for fatigue
I do not have to work but only have to
se that the men from our company
do not run off as they are very apt
to do. I do not have to go on picket they
do not send and noncommissioned
officers out now but I would rather go than
not. We have no officers but Captain
now since the first and second lieutenants
have resigned from ill health I am
very sorry for they were good officers and the
second lieutenant took more interest
in the company than any other officer
and for that reason was like the best.
You say that you will send the pipe
and gloves in a few days now I
think that you had better not
send any thing I did not think
when I wrote about
how much it would cost to get
the things if you have not sent them
by the time this reaches you I would
not send them and as for the blanket
I did not expect you to send that but only
to send the price and then I can buy one
here. I do not think that I will be able to send more
than fifteen dollars home this time for
now that it is geting cold weather I dont
know what I may want and I think it is
best that I shold keep at least ten dollars
I will be saving and if I have any thing left
next pay day I will send it home If you think
that I had better send more home please say so
when you write in answer to this. Give my love
to mother and the rest of the folks I am very well and I hope you are the
same. I wrote to Mary a day or two ago Good Bye
From E. P. S. I hope that this letter will pay you for that little letter
of mine
[On Envelope:]
AH Winchell Esq
Detroit
Box 484 Mich
