Augusta County: John J. Sibert to Mary Anna Sibert,
April, 1864
Summary:
Sibert reports to his sister on the high spirits and easy camp life of the
Confederate soldiers with whom he is spending the winter at Camp Randolph.
April /64
Camp Randolph
My Dear Sister
We returned from Picket next day after I wrote to you in deed we had a terrible time getting to Camp the mud was about six
inches deep while the rain and snow fall fast upon us
all day long from the river to our Camp is 12 long miles & we are called to go on picket about every (20) days
& it either snows or rains during the time we
are [unclear: out] I think we will very soon dispense with Picketting as
the winter is almost gone indeed I am anxious to have warm weather again although
soldiers have their best
time during the Winter season I have had an exquisite time this winter I shall
never forget Camp Randolph our Houses were very comfortably built & to
take everything in consideration it was the most convenient Camp we have had
[page 2]
Oh! we have lived high here,
our kind Friend at Home have kept us in the very best of provision while our duty except picket was quite light no one can
complain of having
done
too much hard duty this Winter I guess that you have read
an account of our Snowballing in the Spectator if
you have you may consider from that that our spirits are good all such fun we
have enjoyed this Winter you cannot imagine [unclear: how] pleasantly we
can pass off a winter you seldom see a [unclear: day]
[illeg.] fine spirits if you do you can easily
guess what caused it & may say that fellow has been kicked By some Young Lady some of Imbodens deserters have cut him out and
as I am no Ladies Man and cannot love any one more than my dear Sister &
Mother you may know that My spirits are always good
& that I go with a well & gay heart. Mary I wish you could see
Me I am as big & fat as a Hog
[page 3]
If we should be so unfortunate as to run [illeg.] out of
rations I could live two week upon My own fat it is not
good living altogether that Makes Me fat but It is the dirt mixt with what we
eat Soldiers are awful dirty with their domestic affairs we generally use our
dirty clothes as dish rags & for tea towels
when the Police officer comes around inspecting our
quarters we always stuff our dirty
clothes in the Flower Bag dont you think it a very
good idea. The [illeg.] have all [unclear: played]
[unclear: out] they [unclear: have] all
[unclear: deserted] for Imbodin [illeg.] when is Old Bill
[unclear: Shumate] Tell him to write to Me when you see him again I
would like to see him very much tell will I think Maggie & him might
come down & pay me a visit. Mary you remember what I stated in my last
letter to you about coming Home If I did not write [unclear: before] two
weeks that I would certainly be at home
[page 4]
I am [unclear: necssarley]
compelled to write be fore the time
[unclear: expires] There fore you must look for me any more. I cannot
come home furloughs are only granted in extreme
cases you know that it is not important that I should come at this time although I am very anxious to see you General Lee only grants one furlough to every hundred
Men and you know as well as I do that there is [unclear: plenty] of Men
in the army whose families are suffereing for the want
of them [illeg.] do you think it would be kind in you to come home and
keep one of these Men from their homes when a man in our company that has been
home this winter. this man is a good soldier but a very poor man he received a letter from his wife the other day stating
that the man [deleted: that]
[unclear: owned] of the House she was living in threatened to turn her
out [unclear: fo] his House she wrote
[page 5]
for her husband to come
home that she was going to be thrown out with his 3 little Children &
that she did not know where to go or what to do, in a case of that kind I would
willingly give a way for you dont know how [unclear: Mean] some of the
people are in Augusta you dont know what is going on half the time
Mary I want you to send Me a Box of [unclear: provitions] as soon as you
can tell Mother about it-- I want one [illeg.] from home before the
Campaign opens if you can get it to Staunton on Friday
it will come safely to me after we get to marching I cannot get anything from
home at all I also want a pair of draws & a
pair of sock & 1 shirt If I can get them has
Mr Barber got any thing that would
[page 6]
make shirts if he has please get them I will pay for them My self. dont forget
to attend to this for me. please excuse this badly written letter this is the
worst pen I ever had you that I always write in a hurry tell Ada to write to me
& not to think so much of the Boys what has become of Mr.
[unclear: Watkins]
[unclear: I]
don't
[unclear: thin] much of him. please tell Miss Sue Hardin that I dont
admire Mr M [unclear: treatment] towards her tell her that I am her
friend & if she wishes me to whip Mr. M for her [illeg.] just to
let me know tell her that I have challenged him and
that I only want him accept it. write soon &
give me all the news My love to all enquiring friends
[added: the next question is can you read all this]
Your Affct Brother,
John J Sibrt
