Rappahannock Station Va. Sept. 6th

Dear Parents

    I shall write but
a short letter to day for I am on guard,
it is uncomfortably warm and I do not
feel like writing neither know I what to
write against such reasons there can
be no argument. My health continues
good as ever. I am weighing 160
pretty good weight for the hot season;
the health of the Regt is much better
than a fortnight ago. Dennett is at
Fairfax Seminary Hospital about five
miles from Alexandria we hear from
him occasionally, he is getting better slowly;
Leiutenant Wyman has gone to Washington
I believe he has got a fiver. I received
two papers and two letters from you last week
am very glad to hear from you so often,
that box you sent is probably in Washington
before this time and I am in hopes to get

it soon, there were some came last week
and I am in hope that they will send the
rest along. I have just been reading the
Presidents letter to the Springfield Convention
and like it very much. I dont see how any
Union man can find fault with it,
his words are so very simple and common
the no one can mistake their meaning
yet every one is to the point. It is generally
true of Politicians, I believe, that the letters they
have written have been their ruin, in
striving to please one part of their party
they have mortally offended another, such
is not the case with Mr Lincoln. I
believe that this last letter of his will make
him thousands of friends for he speaks
not of party and party platforms but
Union and the Constitution and how
they may best be restored.

    During the
last week several deserters from the
Rebel Army have come into our picket
lines. they tell hard stories about the demoralization

of Lee’s Army but it wont do to put too much
confidence in what such men I dont
believe that Lee’s Army is so badly
demoralized as they tell about, probably the
next two months will show

    Do you remember
a Herschell Sanborn that was in the class
with and at the High School. a very tall
fellow, he took dinner at our house one
Sunday together with George Perkins, he
was killed at the battle of Gettysburg, was
in the 13th Mass. Regt which is in the
same Brigade with ours. I believe
that he is the only class mate of mine
that has ever been killed though there
are quite a number of them
out at war some of whom
have been wounded

    Come to think
of it, it is just a year ago to day
since we left Mass. at this time
a year ago we were on the cars en route

for Washington; since then we have had
some experience in a soldier’s life, have
seen some of its fatigues and hardships
during that time I have been unusualy
fortunate, having seen hardly a sick
day, have not experienced a pain or an
ache worth mentioning. I cant always
expect to be as fortunate as this. I hope
that a year more may see us all at
home again, if the Fall Campaign
is as successful as the Summer has
been I think it will. It will be a
happy day for us all when we meet
again and no one is more anxious
for it to come quickly than myself but
I want to see the war settled as it should
be first then I can be contentet

    You
must excuse this letter it it is written
in a great hurry, it is beginning to rain
now

Your Aff Son
A R L