Letter written by Henry Welch, corporal in the 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company K, to his uncle and aunt from In Camp, May 24, 1863
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WASHINGTOND. C. (District of Columbia) (Washington, District of
Columbia)
MAY 28?
1863
Mr
Franklin
Tanner (Tanner,
Franklin)
South
Granville
Washington
Co
NY (New York) (South Granville, New York) (Oneida
County, New York)
In..camp..May..24th....1863.. My Dear Uncle (Tanner, Franklin) and Aunt (Tanner, Franklin (Mrs., Polly C.)) (Tanner, Polly C. (Mrs. Franklin Tanner)) !
..I
received a welcome letter from you last evening
and
I now hasten to answer it!
I am in excelent (excellent) health and
sincerely hope that these few
disconnected words
will find
you the same! we are having
very hot weather these
day's
down here! but I suppose that
we shall see it a great deal
warmer before the summer
is past. the army
under
Hooker (Hooker, Joseph
(General)) is still quiet and
I hear no rumor's of our
moveing (moving) soon! we go on
picket about twice a week
and we have
pleasant times
while on the picket line!
we are stationed three on
a post and one stand's
with a gun two hours and
then another takes his place
so that we have a chance to
sleep at night four hours
out of six! and when it
does not rain its not very
hard duty to do! I miss
Col: Norten (Norten (Colonel)) very much he was
a friend to me! when I was
sick with the fever he came
often to see me and when
I got better he was ever
cautioning me to be careful
and not get down again!
on our last march he often
went on foot and let me
ride! he alway's spoke very
pleasantly to the boy's and
he would as soon speak to
a private as to an oficer (officer)!
he was one of the finest
men that I ever saw! he was
in fact one of nature's
noblemen! and he has gone
I trust to receive that
reward which he so richly
deserves in that world where
the clamor of battle is never
heard and contention is
known no more! you did not
write what you thought of
the battle whether you
thought we were whipped
or not! in your next letter
please express your appinion (opinion)
about it! as for myself I
hardly know whether we
were whiped (whipped) or not!
according to the ccount (account) the
papers give of the affair
we did not do so very bad
but I saw some thing's
at chancelorsville (Chancellorsville) that is
not allowed to be published
in the papers but I have
not space to write what
they were! one thing I will
state though! that is that
there never was a very
great victory gained by a
set of drunk oficer's (officers)! the
General that commanded
our Brigade was so drunk
that he could not sit on
his horse. and the Divission (division)
General had got so much
down that he had all he
could attend to - to keep
from falling off his horse
this I know to be so! and
rumor say's that the majority
of higher oficer's (officers) were in the
same way! but how true that
is I only can surmise for I
did not see but a very little
of them! I must close for this
time! I send my respects to all
enquireing (enquiring) friends and my love
to you! from your nephew Henry (Welch, Henry)
Part: of 5 
