Augusta County: A. H. Byars to his Sister, December
7, 1862
Summary:
Byars writes about picket duty around Richmond and tells about his difficulties
obtaining clothing.
Sister
Dec. 7th 1862
Camp near Mount Pleasant
Spotsylvania County, Va
Dear Sister
Your kind favor of Nov. the 20th came safely to hand a few days ago and as I have a few leisure moments this cold morning will try and write you few lines, not that I have any news of interest to [unclear: write] but mainly to let you all know that I am still [unclear: alive] and well. We have but little duty to do now [unclear: except] picket duty and have not had any fighting [unclear: to do] the last three or four weeks but move [unclear: camp] every day or two. Still moving back toward Richmond [illeg.] of our Regiment is out on picket now, been gone a day, will be back this evening. Our picket [illeg.] is twenty-three miles from where we are at camp, but we only gave to go on picket every [illeg.] day and stay on three days at a time.
I was detailed to go on picket when a part of our regiment [illeg.] out the other day but got James Vance to go in [illeg.] place by letting him ride my mare was glad to [illeg.] it off for it has been very cold ever since They [illeg.] and the snow is about six inches deep. Still [illeg.] what we are having a cold old time of it - sleeping out without tents, but we build big log fires, [illeg.] make up shantys out of pine brush so you see [deleted: ] make out very well when it does not rain.
[illeg.] heard from Sam a few days ago. he was very well [illeg.]
would have gone down to see him but they were [illeg.] and I did not
know where to find them [illeg.] Scott saw him he says that Sam was
cooking [illeg.]
[illeg.]
[illeg.]
[illeg.]
[illeg.]
[page 2]
[illeg.] nice, wouldn't take
twenty dollars apiece for them. My pants I have swapped
them off for a longer pair. I hated to part with them
but they were so small that I could not wear them.
[unclear: Sister] I thought that I would write this letter with [unclear: pen and ink] but my pen is so bad that I will have to finish it with my pencil I am almost ashamed to send this it is so badly written and you can see that I have nothing to write that would interest you in the least or would not fill up my letter with such foolishness--things that would not intend [illeg.] [illeg.] but I hope you will excuse [illeg.] this [deleted: ] and I will try and do better next and for goodness sake, don't let any persons see this [unclear: badly] written and disconnected letter.
[unclear: Still] I will tell you how we are fixed about cooking there are eight of us in my mess (Asbury, Clark, [illeg.], Buchanan, Bambs, Scott, and myself) and we only have [illeg.] one oven to cook in--we first [illeg.] our beef--[illeg.] make up our bread and butter it and if we have any thing else to eat (which we have sometimes, by [unclear: buying] when we can find anything for sale) [unclear: cook] what ever it may be all in the one [illeg.] is quite a novelty to see us cooking it[unclear: alway]--[deleted: ] on me to make the brew, for they say that [illeg.] but any of them making good [illeg.] . Give my love to cousin Johns folks and tell Mr. Hull to [unclear: write] to me. I suppose Cousin Lizzie has quit writing to me as I wrote to her nearly two months ago and she has not answered my letter [deleted: ] also give my respects to Mr. [illeg.] and family and my love to Miss [illeg.]. Tell Mollie that I wrote to her from Culpepper [illeg.].
[not signed]
