Sunday, February 22, 1863 - Stafford Court House, Virginia

Head Quarters, 20^th Regt. CV.

Stafford Court House Feb 22th 1863

Dear and beloved Wife

I now seat myself and attempt to answer your letter which I received Friday but how well I shall succeed I can hardly tell for it is a most dreadful cold and stormy day I was glad to hear that you ware all well it found me well except a little loosness of the bowels I had been troubled with the diareah for two or three days before I received your last letter I have got pretty much over it now am well otherwaise I hope when this reaches you it will find you all well and in more comfortable circumstances than what I am at this presant time for I am in our shanty without any fire sitting on my bunk with my feet und the blankets to keep them warm but I do not make out very well at that for they are almost frose have got on my over coat and one mitten have to stop evry few moments and tuck my hands under my arms to warm my fingers we are haveing a most dredful bad snow storm a regular old north easter such as we get in Connecticut the folks in Moodus or any other place know nothing at all about a soldiers life unles they try it once for a short time through the winter season then I think they could realise something about it. Lucinda you can not even immagine any thing at all of what I have to go through if you could have been last night whare you could have looked in upon us as we lay in our soldier house the covering of which was composed of but one thickness of cotton cloth rather light at that and seen the snow siffting in round our ears and in fact all over us than you would have had something to judge from but even then that was nothing as you may say of what hardships we have to go through but after all I do not want you to worry about me for I intend if I have good luck to come out of it all right in the end; you wanted to know if I found anything in the buttery good to eat down here I say that I can find plenty of pork I should like very well to take a peep with you into your buttery and see what I could find perhaps it would be a good big piece of mince pie with plumbs in it, I should like to seat myself with you beside the old stove and eat a few good greenings I bought three fried cacks yesterday paied twenty five cents for them I presume the actual cost of them was not over five cents: Georgia spoke about her going to a dancing school I do not think it advisable for her to go as there is noone to see to her if I was at home to go with her it would be another thing I think you can understand the reason why I think so you yourself must know that she is to young to go to such a place with out someone to look out for her as there are generaly those at dances of a doubtful character therefore I hope you will take my advice and keep her at home; about wood if you think you had better get another cord you can, if you do have it cut and put under cover, if you can get a good place for Edgar to live it will be a good thing for him as he is old enough to earn his living. Georgia you must not feel bad about what I have wrote for I think it is for your own good

From your Husband and Father

A.C. Smith