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 wharabouts my health is very good &
hope theese
fiew lines may find you enjoying the blessings of health
and happines I have been waiting in suspence 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 inmagin how lonsome I have been in looking for a fiew lines from you I will now send out the second arrow hoping it
may
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find its destination Jake told me
yesterday eavning that you had never hurd from me since my return to camp I had in writing
yesterday put 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
ware on pickett last week had a very easy tour of
it, I could not see any yankees across the river I think the grater portion of thare army has gon South & some twenty or thirty thousand of our
army has gon to meet them we have orders to keep one
days rations in our haversacks untill further orders
Some thinks we are going to South Carlina I havent but one objection to going It wuld 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 cost
whare we could get plenty of oysters we hafto 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 laughf 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 chimmies to them, I hope we may camp hear 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 fiew at best
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I hardly know what to write to interrest you I hope you have recieved my
other letter before this time I wish I was whare I
wouldnt have to write for it is a grate 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 gon forever I hope the time may soon come when I may
fondly encircle thee in my arms & call thee mine oh Kate forget the I never can & would not be forgot for the gold
of opher, I hope your path may be strune with flowers
and if I can not make you happy some other may I ask an interest in your prayers
excuse this uninterresting 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.
