Letter from Frank to Fanny Hall. Camp Near White Oak Church, Va.
I send today one of the envelopes from the packs wify sent me.
Camp Near White Oak Ch. Va. March l0th, 1863.
Own Fanny Fan,
I will try & send a little letter
by this mail that will soon be on its way to head Quarters, We have had a
stormy day today, a flurry of snow & rain intermingled, rendering it
muddy & misty, without and making the tent the more desirable resting
place. The fire is burning brightly, the axes are sounding merrily without
& the mules are bellowing their general dissatisfaction. It is after
dinner & I am sitting in a chair that my new camp bed makes when folded
up; a most comfortable chair! Hastings sent the bed up to me a few days ago
from Belle Plain. I am writing upon my little church book in which I store
away the Sabbath school stories. The Col. has Just finished a letter to Col.
Seaver & had Pete put it into the mail bag.
Col. Seaver has taken a leave for fifteen
days & the probability is that he will come to Plattsburgh & if he
does, he will come to see you. At least he is planning so to do. I sent one
bottle of pickles today down to Pliny Moore & also a paper of tea. He
sent a fine mince pie the other day. I did not want to send my wify's pickles,
but I knew you would rather have hubby do so then not to reciprocate favors.
I took wify's writing off of Mrs. Coits bottle of Pickles, "Mrs. Coits Pickles"
& put it away in an envelope. Do you know, dear wify, that I do not tear
up even the wrappers in which you send the News papers, but keep them because
my wify writes them. I have them all safely stored away & kept
safely.
There go heavy army waggons rumbling by
& there goes the rattle of a neighboring regiment's drum corps, We will
have no parade this afternoon, it is so unpleasant. We have nothing but drum
corps, you know, for music now & we hear it for revellry guarde, most
parade & all instead of a band. However we have lately purchased the
instruments for a Brigade band that is for the 5th regiments that compose
our Brigade, the 96th Peru V., 121st N.Y., 27th N.Y., 5th Maine & 16th
N.Y. But the band is not yet organized.
I have been reading aloud to the boys
in the hospital for a short time. They seem to like it so much. Own one good
by, with dear kisses from hubby, I have received your dear letter telling
me of the safe arrival of the checks. Good by from own ever loving hubby.
Frank.