| 1862-07-27 | New Port News, Va. Camp Lincoln |
| New Port News, Va. Camp Lincoln July 27th I862 Dear Parents This pleasant Sabbath afternoon finds me engaged once more writing to you from Camp in Old Va. I have written one letter to you since we came up here. There is nothing new or of importance to write. The boys are all well as usual and seem to enjoy themselves well. There has been reports in Camp that we are going to Baltimore but I think that is all a hoax though I wish that might be the case. For I think if it should seem so much more like home there as it does here from South Carolina I should feel quite at home for you cannot imagine how much more congeniel it feels. The air and water and everything seem like our own free North but I think the next move we make will be toward Richmond. I see by the papers that the Pa Vol have been badly cut to pieces by the Rebels at the battle in front of Richmond and I presume that it will be our turn next. We get the daily papers here every day. We have a daily mail from New York. Some of the boys have letters from home every mail. I think you do not write as often as some of the Folks or else I do not get your letters as regular as the rest and I am sure I write as often as most of the boys do but then I do not know but you write as often as you have time for I know you both have to work very hard. I would like to be home to help you through your haying and harvesting but what is the use of wishing when one is not free to act according to his own feelings but must wait until after the war is over if it is ever ended and we all get home and I think if I ever get home I shall know how to appreciate the best of all places, home. We have been out on Sunday inspection. The Col has not forgotten the old practice of Sunday inspection. They used to call us the Sunday Regt up on Edisto Island. The weather here is quite cool so it will not be quite as hard to drill a little here as it was down in S.C. and I am glad that we have got out of the land of ?eas. Here we have plenty of apples and pears and two or three times a week we can get fresh butter for two shillings per lb and good fresh milk for 10 cts a quart. They often bring us such things as we want to make our victuals palatable and as soon as the cart comes into Camp it is not long before it is surrounded by the boys and they are handing over the change. Most of the produce is sold by the darkies but they are not like S.C. niggers. If they were I should not eat much of the butter or milk. When I commenced this letter I thought I should fill this sheet but I can hardly think of anything interesting. So I guess I will not try to visit much more this time. I am not in much of a mood for writing so I guess I will let this slide for the present and try to do better next time. Please write as often as you can. Give my respects to all enquiring friends. Tell all those that want to hear from me can do so by just dropping a few lines to me at New Port News, Va. Tell John Raines and Lank Knowlton I would like an answer to letters I wrote to them six months ago and they have never answered yet. My hand is so unsteady that I am ashamed of my writing. I grow worse every day so I will close. Hoping to hear from you soon. This from your Affectionate Son. J.D. Strait Address Co I 45th Regt. Col. Welsh Pa. Vol. New Port News, Va. | |