Franklin County: Samuel M. Potter to Cynthia Potter,
February 21, 1862
Summary:
Potter tells about seeing other soldiers from Chambersburg. He also describes a
visit to the Fredericksburg battlefield, where he observed that Confederate
soldiers had stolen coats from dead Union soldiers.
Cynthia Potter
Feb. 21st 1863
Camp 16th Cav. Pa.
Dear Cynthia
I have waited a few days before answering your last letter dated Feb. 6th. Josey was playing nurse to Jimmy & Bell & Lucy playing ring around the rosey. You think if Pa was at home he could nurse Jimmy to be a better boy. Well the reason is I suppose he could be nursed more when you are busy. I feel glad of your getting such a nice lot of wood. Your neighbors are very kind & I think you had better stay there a while yet. You say you want to stop the newspaper. Well use your pleasure about it. If it is any pleasure for you to read it let it run & if not stop it. I here there is a letter for me in the Postoffice so I will wait until morning & get it. The paymaster has not come yet. Feb 22nd Today your letter of the 15th was brot to the Hospital & I am glad that you are all well. It is Sabbath Day and we have quite a snowstorm. The Cannon are firing salute in honor of Washington's birthday. The snow is about 1 foot deep & still snowing. We have had no preaching here & have not had since we left Camp Casey about six weeks since. I would go through this storm (if I was at home) & hear Rev. McKee very cheerfully & more cheerfully if my whole family were in the seat with me. I often picture to myself the old church & its pleasant pastor & his kind sociable people sitting comfortably on the Sabbath listening to the Words of Life & singing the songs of Zion. & wish I was there too. You told me in one of your letters not to go too close to the rebs. Well I got acquainted with a young man from Canonsburg who is a cousin of John Boyce & who came over to see us occasionally & invited us to go over & see him. For sake of a change Mr. Miller & I went over to where Mr. Reed is guarding a private house & took dinner with him, getting cornbread. We all went over after dinner to the Kott to see the boys there & found them well. I saw Jimmy Sloan nearly as big as his father, the old preacher. & also Bub Emory. They are both hearty. Their fathers were both down to see them about a week ago & started to come over to our regiment but could not find the way. Well after staying there a short time to get a spyglass we went down to Fredericksburg. We got on the river bank opposite the city & could see them playing ball. Could hear them laughing & talking & saw a number who had blue overcoats on which they took off our dead soldiers. Mr. Reed who was in the battle could show us the rebel batteries & also a stone fence which our men tried to take a number of times & were mowed down by hundreds. He pointed out a number of fields back of the city which were literally covered with our dead after the fight & still left after our men recrossed the river. We saw quite a number of houses with holes in them made by our cannon balls. We also saw where several houses were burnt down. The rebels & our pickets do a good deal of trading the rebs being scarce of coffee will give a pound of tobacco for a pound of it. & also exchange a Richmond newspaper for a northern one. Well we returned safely to the Kott & then I took supper with Lieut. Vance & then returned here sound in body & limb. You made inquiry about Lieut. Gunn well the Surgeon said that he is not able to ride a horse for any length of time & consequently unable for the Cavalry Service. His resignation came back the other day. It was wrong in some little point & so it will be a week yet before he will get it. I feel very much like being at home this Sabbath evening with everything around me peaceful & happy & hearing my little ones recite the catechism & would like to talk to them & hear them talk to me. Does Lucy & Bell learn any questions & do they say them well. Can Bell say her little prayer yet. (Now I lay me down to sleep) I suppose Lucy can say it all by herself by this time & I suppose Josey as a good boy has learned a good number of questions. You speak of your neighbors giving you some more wood. They are very kind to you & I hope they will be suitably rewarded for their kindness. I see by Elizabeths letter that [deleted: th] Wills family has a good deal of sickness. I feel sorry for them.
Your affectionate husband
S. M. Potter
