 | Letter to Chloe Unity Blair |  |
1862-09-30
September, the, 30, 1862
After long silance I write
you afew lines which will inform
you that we are boath
well,
I have had very good health since I left
Richmond
John has bin a little sick
several
times tho he is very well at this time,
hard marching agrees with me finely
and
I tel you I have had enough of that to
make me fat, if I only cud of goten
enough to eat, the rations has bin very
scanty a large portion of the time sence we
have bin marching, we
have not marched
much for the last ten days and it looks
like thay are trying to feed us to death
now, thay are giving us eny
quantity of
fresh beef and fresh hog meat,
I
would like very much to gave you
a history of our
travels, tho I have not
got the patiants nor time to write
it,
I hope we will all be permited to
return to our homes in peace soon, and
then I
can tel you of our ups and downs,
it is thaught in camp that we
will
have peace soon and, I trust
we may
tho I dont know the public
appin ion
I have not seen a paper in a
month,
sent to our company, John Hundley [2] and Whit
and Memry Inman[3] and Buc Pruett [4]
our old members has kept up finely concid
ering the exposeure, we have to waid every
stream we come to that has no bridge across
it, we have waided the potomac three time
we are not aloud time to take off our clothing,
to croos creeks & rivers, we have to go in
just as we are, and then march with
our wet clothing on, Bag Pritchett & Dac are
both sick and at the hospital, Dasey Price[5]
has bin sick fror some time, he has bin
staying at private house close by Winches
ter, I all of our sick & wounded are order
ed from Winchester to Staunton,
I think we will go bac to Richmond
again soon at least I hope so, for I have
not hird a word from home since I left
Richmond, you must write to me soon and
direct your letters to Winchester, we are onley
five miles from Winchester now,
your affectionate cousin
The 38th Regiment made camp at Hopewell Friends Meeting near Clearbrook, VA, which is five miles north of Winchester, from September 29 through October 29, 1862 (Gregory, 28).
John M. Hundley was conscripted into the 38th Regiment, Company D on July 31, 1862. He was paroled at Appomattox on April 9, 1865 (Gregory, 103).
Memory Inman, who enlisted with the Bookers in Whitmell in 1861, received a medical discharge on November 11, 1861. He was conscripted at Danville on August 28, 1862 and was reassigned to the 38th Regiment, Company D. Like the Bookers, he was wounded in action at Drewry's Bluff on May 16, 1864. He returned to duty on October 11, 1864 (Gregory, 104). See John Booker's letter of December 22, 1863.
James may be referring to William E. Prewett, who was conscripted and joined Company D on September 20, 1862 while they were marching (Gregory, 118).
It is probable that this is Dorsey Price, a private in the 38th Regiment, Company D. He was listed absent sick through the roll dated September, 1862 (Gregory, 118) perhaps because, as James Booker reports, he was staying at a private home in Winchester.
| Letter to Chloe Unity Blair | |