Augusta: William F. Brand to Amanda C. Armentrout,
January 19, 1863
Summary:
William writes to Kate of the army serving oysters but having no butter to eat
them with, and of other news from his camp, including news on the Yankees and
troop movements.
Miss A. C. Armentrout
Greenville
Augusta County
Virginia
Miss A. C. Armentrout
January 19th 1863
Camp Winder, Caroline Co. Va
Dear Friend
I have seated my self for the purpose of writing you a few lines to inform you of
our whereabouts my health is very good &
hope these
few lines may find you enjoying the blessings of health
and happiness I have been waiting in suspense for some time for a letter from you I have
come to the conclusion that my letter never came to hand I wrote soon after I
came down, you can well imagine how lonesome I have been in looking for a few lines from you I will now send out the second arrow hoping it
may
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find it's destination Jake told me
yesterday evening that you had never heard from me since my return to camp I had in writing
yesterday but I thought I would wait and send this by Mr
Carson as the other failed by mail I have no news of importance to write We
were on pickett last week had a very easy tour of
it, I could not see any yankees across the river I think the greater portion of their army has gone South & some twenty or thirty thousand of our
army has gone to meet them we have orders to keep one
days rations in our haversacks until further orders
Some thinks we are going to South Carolina I haven't but one objection to going It would be so seldom
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that we could hear from home I would
like to See the country & then we would be on the coast
where we could get plenty of oysters we have to pay six dollars a gallon for them here &
no butter then to eat with them, well I got a letter the other day from the
mill; I tell you that it had Sams name in more than one line I had to laugh at several of her conclusions of the hearafter we
have a large Co. now for duty some sixty odd, the largest in the brigade we have
got our tents at last the boys are busy building chimneys to them, I hope we may camp here all
winter We have plenty of wood and tolerable good water, and are enjoying all the
sweets of camp life, and you know they are few at best
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I hardly know what to write to interest you I hope you have received my
other letter before this time I wish I was where I
wouldn't have to write for it is a great deal more pleasure to me to talk to you than to
write I have often been near you in my dreams since I last seen you, but alas
what are dreams they vanish in a moment from our sight & are gone forever I hope the time may soon come when I may
fondly encircle thee in my arms & call thee mine oh Kate forget thee I never can & would not be forgot for the gold
of opher, I hope your path may be strewn with flowers
and if I can not make you happy some other may I ask an interest in your prayers
excuse this uninteresting letter I will try
and do better next time let no one see this my respects to all & my love
to you
from your true friend
W.F.B.
