#20

Stafford C. H. Va. May 30^th 1863

Dear Wife

I now take this oportunity to answer your letter which I received Thursday night was glad to hear that you ware all well it found me well and am the same to day and hope when this reaches you it will find you all well I am out on picket now and it rains some so I guess I shall have to stop and waite untill I get to camp to finish this letter we are haveing some pretty warm weather here now and we have plenty of duty to doe now days it is either guard or picket evry day we go from camp to the picket line mornings at half past eight O clock and get back to camp the next day about eleven then in the afternoon at three O clock we have to go out on battallion drill, drill two hours get to camp about half past five, have dress parade at half past six retreat at sun down role call again at half past eight then we are at liberty to go to bed when we get redy, turn out about four in the morning for role call get brakefast and be ready for guard or picket at half past eight whichever we happen to be, if it so happens that we dont have one of these duties to do that I have mentioned then it is more drill squad drill in the morning from seven till eight company drille from ten till half past eleven so you see that we are kept straight most of the time about something I was paid yesterday two months more pay will send you twenty dollars in this letter, let me know as soon as you receive it if it comes through safe, I should be glad to come home and see you all if it was so that I could but probably shall not untill my three years are up unles the war comes to a close before that time expires so you must take good care of youreself and children and try and get along as well as you can under the circumstances I will try and do what I can for you in the way of sending you what little money I have to spare, Good morning all hands of you it is sunday morning a pretty warm morning it is to although the wind breezes up considerable, I have got to go out on inspection in a short time now so what I write this time shall have to do in a hurry have not heard any thing more from Mr Purple yet but presume he is in the Parole camp yet Fred Chapman is in the hospitle near Aquia Creek Landing doing well, I think you must have had a good time cleaning out the colage that was a job you ought to have hired done insted of doing it yourself, you have wrote once or twice about having some teeth I think you had better waite untill I come home then we will see about such things, Georgia I dream about once a week that you are a very naughty girl saucy to your Mother tell her that she lies and to doe things herself when she tells you to do them and you shall do this and that just as you are amind to now Georgia that you must know is contrary to my instructions after letting you go to the select school and trying to do all that I can for your good to have you such a bad girl makes me feel very bad in futer I hope you will conduct yourself in such a manner that my dreams will come in a different form my love to you all

from your Husband & Father

A.C. Smith

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