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Regiment: 5th Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
Headquarters Camp Michigan Virginna
Fifth Reg’t Michigan Volunteers, Comp D
Febuary 23rd 1862
Dear Dollie
You tell me that you have
no news to write and that you have
written to me so often telling me how
bad you wanted to see me that it has
become an old story my dear you
do not know how much good it does
me to have you tell me that I am
dear to you or that I am missed
How I would like to hear that dear
little boy of ours talk about papa
Jim you think that the sock of
hair I sent you is not as dark as
mine was I do not think it is
for my hair is getting quite gray
how will you like the idea of living
with a gray headed man I suppose
to that I am growing old pretty
fast as all the boys. say that
I look to be about 35 years
old but I cannot see a change
as I am fat and am enjoying
the verry best health. now
Dollie I am going to answer all your
questions you ask me if we get any
whisky here we do sometimes when
we go on picket that is the only
times that we get it from gov
it is verry difficult to get it here
as no one is allowed to keep it when
it is known but of course it some-
times gets smuggled into camp
about a week ago 4 or 5 of us
got some and had quite a
time but of course there is no
use in my telling you of this as
you will hear of it from other
sources if not it will be something
out of the common. you do not
really believe I will never get home
to see our little
[ ? ] do you. if you
do I am going to disappoint you
in a month or two. how are you
managing now that you have got
a room by yourself are you going to
buy your own provisions and
like by your self. I suppose our
pay day will soon be around
again when I shall send
you more money than I did
before. now Dollie you and
Alma both want my picture
and I have promised it to Alma
several times and our folks have
not got one of mine. I will get
it taken and send to you to see
how it looks and then you
can send it to her as you
have already got a pretty good
one and I am going home
to you to bother you again
and there you can see
pretty much how I look
yesterday being the 22 we had
quite a time on the Potomac we
could hear the booming of cannon
in evry direction our regiment
was called out and formed
in square when our colonel read
Washingtons farewell address to
us and also made us quite a
speech he is a fine appearing man
about 46 years of age a Lawyer
by profession and ranked verry
high in his profession.
the verry bad weather still
continues here and we shall
probably be obliged to stay here
a long while yet.
Yours ever
Jim
