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Head Quarters 12^th Amb,c Corps

Aquia Creek Landing, Va. March 15^th/63

Dear Wife

 I now seat  myself to answer your letter  I have received two since I last wrote one last week Tuesday the other yesterday  I was glad to hear from you that you ware all well.  I am well and hope when this reaches you it will find you all the same.  I should have answered the first letter before but I did not have any paper  it was the first time that I  have got out of paper since I left New Haven  I was out after some paper yesterday when the last letter come to my hut  I bought a quire of paper and seventeen envelopes for twenty five cents  it took the last cent I had so you see that I am dead broke now; how long it will be before Uncle Sam will pay me some more money I do not know, but I hope he will before long, he owes me for four months up to the first of March which amounts to fifty two dollars, he is expected to pay every two Months but I find that he is rather apt to let it run over time but it will be good when it comes; you must tell Frank that he will have to wait till I get some more money before I can send him any more  I am glad to hear that he has got so much and hope he will save all he gets when it amounts to two dollars he can put it into the bank, you wanted to know what time to get out the maneur on the mowing sometime in the fore part of April if it is thawed so that it can be got out  take it when the ground is not very weat so as not to cut up the mowing bad.  I was very glad of the tea that you sent in your letter  it made me and my friend Mr Clark each of us a good cup  this Mr Clark is from East Haddam out East of the old town house  his name is Leonard S, he married Esther Martin for his Wife  she used to work in the factory’s at Moodus about the same time that you did  was this the Martin girl that worked at Davison,s when you did  if it is write so in the next letter this Clark and myself ware detailed at the same time for the Amb,c Corps both from Co. C. you will see by this that I am seperated from my old chum Horatio D. Chapman and from the Regt  I am very well sattisfied with my position now we have got us another hut built 12 feet one way by 7 feet the other with a fire place in one end of it that takes up the whole width of the building so you see that we can have a riping old fire, wood is plenty and handy by all we have to do is to go out and chop it down trim it out take a horse and haul it up to the door  we can keep very comfortable now  how long before we shall have to move I know nothing about  probably as soon as the going gets to be good however that I think will be some few weeks yet for we are having old March in good ernest here now and have had it for the last two week,s it has been as much like March here ever since the month come in as I ever saw in Connecticut at the time you wrote about its snowing so hard there the storm was no less tegeous here that was before we had got our hut done so we had to sit out in the storm round a fire, it has either snowed or rained here every single day for the last two weeks sometime in the cours of the twenty four hours and some of the time it rained as though it meant it a number of nights I went to bed with the stars shining as bright as you ever saw them in old Connecticut and every thing looked fair for a butiful night but would be aroused from my slumbers before midnight by the rattling of a drenching rain clost to my head it seamed as if it would hit me in the face every minute; I must tell you that I am liveing a little better since I have been in the Ambulance Corps we have more potatoes and onions and last week one day each man drew eight or ten pound of flour since then I have had gridles and short cakes which go first rate  I suppose  you would like to see me wetting up a short cake our conveniances are not quite as good as they might be for that business the way I have to do it is to take a frying pan that we have and wet up the cake in it and bake it in the same thing before the fire, I stir up my griddles in my coffee cup it holds just anough for one meal we have plenty of pork to fry and get fat for shortning; I am haveing a pretty easy time just now I find it is rather diferant here from what it was in the Regiment I do not have much of any thing to do now have no guard or Picket duty to do nor any drilling to do shall have no gun to carry and on a march will have no load to carry whatever for my knapsack and haversack will go in the Ambulance you may tell Jo that I am glad to hear that he is raising up soldiers for I think there will be use for them before this cursed rebellion will be put down tell him to that I have never received any answwer to that letter which I wrote to him when I was at fair fax Station, I have received one one paper from you  I suppose it was the Hartford Press  Edgar I must write a few words to you your Mother says that you are a very good boy onley you wont to stay at home nor water the cow she haves that to do now I am sorry to hear that you run away from home up to Mr Fullers so much now if you do not stay at home water the cow and help your Mother all you can I shall have someone take charge of you that you will have to mind so now lett me hear no more such reports of you and you will never be sorry you must write me another letter the next time Mother writes, Well Frank I was very much pleased with your letter you don first rate you must try and learn to write a good hand, you wanted to know if it snowed whare I was it did and I had than to set out in it then but have got a very good shelter now Georgia I have not much room to write to you if you go to the dancing school you must try and learn all you can and behave yourself like a lady and be a good girl to your Mother

From your Father and Husband

A.C. Smith

Copyright © 2009 Bruce E. Leandro. All rights reserved.