39th Pennsylvania Infantry - NEW

Item LTR-11705

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 4 pages, written in period ink.



January 17, 1862
Camp Pierpont
 
Brother Jason,
 
I believe I will write to you this Monday evening. I received yours this week. There isn’t much news of importance except we have got into a pretty nice tent. I have had considerable to do today and I am pretty tired tonight. I have a tent partly made of wood with a very nice fireplace in one side of it. I have enough to furnish quite a house. I don’t know but if the war should end soon I would stay in my new tent in preference to leaving it.
 
We are all about as common except Stephen is complaining of a sore mouth. Camp life agrees with us all very well I believe. We are about as men as there are in the company and about as stout and stand marching about as well as any of them. I haven’t been off duty for the last 4 ½ months. And the most of our fellows feel big enough since we met and whipped a superior force of Rebels. The account given by the ninth regiment isn’t correct by a long sight for our company, Company C and Company F was in the fight as much as any of them and so was Company B of the 10th and since by order of Governor Curtin, Dranesville has been printed on our flag, or Dranesville December 20, 1861 and so has the 9th, 16th & 12th Bucktails.
 
E.O.C. Ord is our brigadier general and he is as kind and feeling a general and as brave and energetic a man as the Army of the Potomac affords. McCall is our major general and by his order we are to be called the Fighting Brigade. When Ord first came here, there was hardly a man that liked him. He is a very rough looking man, goes dressed but little better than some of the privates goes around on foot through the camps. But lately, they have got so that every man likes him in his brigades and would almost die for him. We have all good officers.
 
Jason I want you to do up my fiddle and take it to town and send it to me. Do it up and direct it as you do my letters. Send it by Adams Express. Pay the fee on it. I don’t know how much it will be precisely, but I guess about five shillings or 75 cents. If it isn’t more than a dollar give one of these dollars to Susan and if there is anything left, keep it yourself. I have considerable time evenings that I haven’t much to do and we are obliged to set up until eight and 9 o’clock, and I think it would help to pass away some long evenings. Please put in my fiddle book and do them up firmly. Sew cloth around them or if you could, get a box to sit them in it would be better. Send it as soon as you can get into town.
 
Jarius
 
To Jason Waid