150 Years Ago (1863 11/9)
Brattleboro, Nov. 9th, 1863.
Dear Abiah:-
I received a long letter from you last week. It was good. I commenced to answer Friday night, but had
occasion to leave the barracks, and when I returned some of our card players had stolen my candle and tipped over the ink upon the letter and spoiled that. This is the reason of my not writing sooner, and for writing upon such a soiled sheet as I now do. I went on guard Saturday morning. I am well except a slight cold that I took when on guard a week Sunday. It is slight but it hangs to me. I have been on since, without increasing it.
We are to have a better place to sleep when on guard duty than we have had. The building is cold as any barn, no place to sleep but on the floor, dare not take blankets for vermin abound there. Hope they will freeze out soon. There are nothing of the sort in the company barracks. I have seen the animals. They are monsters, no mistake. I have not been in Hinsdale since I went to the funeral. It has been my misfortune to be on some duty every Sunday morning since then. Yesterday in the afternoon was the first time that I have been to church since I came here.


