U.S. Barracks, Brattleboro, Feb. 9,
1864.
Dearest wife, –
Here I am well and hearty, not very hearty though, for I have not done duty enough since I came back to
give me a good appetite. I believe that I had rather do duty than not. I feel so uneasy, think of home every minute, think of you all the time. How I wish I was at home tonight, but here I am eating Uncle Sam’s bread and cheese and doing nothing. Did I say bread and cheese? No not by a long shot. There is no cheese in the scrape without buying it. They have almost all gone.
The last detachment went to the army of the Potomac today, twenty seven men. There are several in the hospital. There have been cases of fever among our boys. One of Company A’s boys is sick at home with it. I was interrupted last night, and have not time to finish this letter but will send what I have got and will write again by Friday, so you may look for a letter from me Saturday morning. Mrs. Richard Chaplin is better I understand. I have not seen her since I came back. This is a short letter, but I can write no more, if I get this into the mail this morning.
Yours in love,
Charles.
Cheese
It’s interesting how much he mentions cheese (or the lack thereof) in these letters. Some Vermont food traditions don’t change.
One of the things these letters conveys that isn’t always evident in photos or books from the time is just how active everything was – people being dispatched, the ill and injured returning for care, packages and messages being sent all over, and so on. It was a hive of activity.