Winchell, Edward A. – September 15, 1861

Michigan Civil War Collection


Click here for this soldier’s biography: https://micivilwar.com/authors/winchell-edward-a/
Regiment: 2nd Michigan Infantry Battles Mentioned: Historical Figures: Do you have to pay for the letters when you get them out of the office Tell me in your next please Hunter’s Chapel Sept. 15th /61 Dear Bro Ad You must excuse me for not writing to you before but it is not my fault as you will find out before this letter is finished About two weeks ago our company took up its quarters at Hunters house, the owner of which is an officer in secesh army, about a miles from camp to dig rifle pits or more properly breast works and I tell you we have made a nice job of it. it is about half a mile long in the shape of a bow it is about 4 feet high at the base and about 6 feet where we load it is this shape and on [drawing] one side it is soded and on the other side there is brush and sharpened sticks so as to prevent Infantry or Cavalry from charging over it I think we will make them sick if they try to take Washington which I have no idea they will try. The pickets are so close to each other that they holler at us and call us d—m Michigan Yankees. I dont think that I will have a chance to see Dick as I believe the rigment is not a coming this way I would like to see him very much. I have seen Bill Noble since we come back from Bull’s Run he has been in Washington ever since he has been very sick but I believe he is around now. You say that Pond is Orderly in the ninth rigment just four or five hours before the battle of Bulls Run I asked him how he liked it and he said that if he ever got home he would not come back again in a hurry. You want to know if I think you would like it down here I don’t think that you would like it here near as well here as you do at home. You say that you had a long letter from father and that he has got to work again and his eyes you say are agiting well I am verry glad of that and still more glad that he thinks he can send home a little money once more. If in your next letter you will give me fathers adress I will tray and write to him. Since I wrote to you last I have been made Corporal so I do not have quite as hard [ ? ] to stand guard any more but it is just as bad I have to go around every two hours. I received a letter from Emma saying that you had not heard from me for about three weeks I have wrote to Emma and Frank and Uncle last week and I will try and write more regular after this. I expect we will get paid off this week and I am a going to take my amount in Treasury Notes so that it will be easy to send home I will have about twenty five dollars to send home and you may give it to Mother to use for Charley or Mary or as she thinks fit. You have not mentioned Charley in any of your letters and I should like to hear how he is a getting along. Emma gave an account of the death of Pierre in her letter and I wish that you would send me the paper with an account of it in if you can get one. I was not expecting any such thing and it pretty near made me sick I felt so bad I always liked Pierre very much and him and me used to fool together a goodeal. I am a getting to the bottom of the sheet and as it is so warm I will have to quit Give my love to all of the folks at home with a share of it for yourself Good Bye from Ed [On Envelope:] JW Killenger MO Mr. A. H. Winchell Detroit Mich