Fort Tillinghast, Va. Oct 14/62
My Dear Wife,
A gain I attempt to write
a few lines to you, I have no news to write
except (if it be new) to tell you that the 1st
Mass Cavalry (Col Williams) is in washing-
ton, You will recollect that David and William
Henry Tufts are int he same, I think that
I shall try and get over there, if they are there
any length of time. We have had for the
last four or five days, a kind of home storm
the wind being north east and quite cool.
I would like (when you send me a box) to have
a box of Professor Olmstead’s Leather Preserva–
itive, as it is a most excellent thing for
Leather and for chapped hands and lips &c.,
I send you a few wild flowers, the last of the sea-
son probably, that I picked last Sunday, I dont
know their names, if they have any. We have here
outside the fort, a Signal Corp of Engineers, it
is very interesting to see them signaling from
one fort to another, although we dont under-
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stand their signs and movements, in the
night they signal by lights, and in the
daytime by different colored flags, I must
tell you about our supper that we had last night. We
went to the slaughter house (near Ft Runyon) where
they kill Government cattle, and got a liver, I fried
the same, and we had a nice feast, with fried
Onions and Potatoes. I would have sent Ada
some of the Onions, only I thought they might
get cold before they would reach her, Speaking
of Ada, you may tell her that I always thought
those cookies that she used to make were very
nice, I should think they would stow well in
a box, Col Wrights wife came here on Sunday
last to nurse him in his sickness, he is much
better than he was, she is a very fine looking
lady, it seem pleasant to look upon a female
face once in a while, and especially one from
Massachusetts, I hope to see more familiar
faces in Mass before many more moths have
rolled over our heads. I think Batcheller’s
brother is homesick, he don’t seem to like
the business that he is engage in, very well
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You need not tell Hen, that I said his brother was home
sick, because Hen might write and tell him what
I said, and you know that people dont like to
have folks think they are homesick. How is the news
of the war at home now? D you hear much about
it? If you hear anything of interest I wish you
would let me know, for we dont hear of know much
about it, and we very naturally are anxious to
hear something concerning that which we are
takeing so conspicuous a part in. I suppose there
is warlike movements going on somewhere, but
for all that is going on around her, we dont know
that there is any. We see regiments moving from
place, but all we Know is that they are
going somewhere. The 1st Va regiment is now
encamped along side of us, their ranks are
very much thinned, some of the companies
om it have but from twelve to twenty men
left, the rest having been killed, or, in the
hospitals, Capt Chamberlain, of Lynn, was here
last Sunday, he is staying, for the present
near Cloud’s Mills, having in charge the par-
roled prisoners that were sent from Richmond,
Letter of Robert, an unidentified soldier in Co. M. of the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, from Lynn, Massachusetts will resume on the 19th.
