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Regiment: 20th Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: Orlando B. Willcox
Newport News, Vir
March 7th 1863
Dear Frankie,
As I have just come off from guard and have little time I will write a few
lines to you. I am well and I hope this will find you the same. It is raining a little
this morning. Frankie, Charlie Stockwell is dead. He died yesterday morning
about 4 0′ clock. He was very sick before we left Fredricksburg but he got better
and I thought he was going to get well but he was taken down again and died. I
have not had a letter from you since Monday and answered it the next day but I
thought I would write again. They are most awful particular here. We have to
black our shoes and keep our guns and plates as bright as they can be but we
don’t have any cooking to do. We have company cooks the same as we did in
Jackson but I don’t care I’d just as live put on strike as not.. I wish you could see
us out on Brigade drill. We have got a staring general. He is a regular. His
name is O M Poe but I tell you he knows his … Frank you think a Regt is as good
many men but if you should see a whole Corps out at once you would think
there was two or three men. I reckon I guess there is about 18,000 in our corp but
only about 3,000 in our brigade and Poe is the Brigade commander and General
Wilcox commands the corp. Poe ranks as a Captain in the regular army. Well I
don’t know what to write so I guess I will close. Frank this is such a place to
spend money that I don’t know as I shall send a great deal home unless we get
more than two months pay next time. Give my love to Father and Mother and
tell them I am all right. Again I shall have to send this with a stamp for one or
two of those you sent I got wet and it spoiled them. Well I believe I have write
enough. Frank when you write again tell me what James Millers address is for it
is in the book I sent home and I forgot to copy it off.
Forever yours,
Charlie
