Letter written by Henry Welch, corporal in the 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company K, to his uncle and ant from Camp near Staffords C.H., Virginia, March 30, 1863
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WASHINGTOND. C. (District of Columbia) (Washington, District of
Columbia)
APR 2
63
Mr
Franklin
Tanner (Tanner,
Franklin)
South
Granville
Washington
Co
NY (New York) (South Granville, New
York)
(Washington County, New York)
Sanitary Commission (United States Sanitary Commission).
Camp..near..Staffords..C..H (Courthouse)..Va (Virginia) (Stafford Courthouse, Virginia) ..
March..30th..1863..
Dear Uncle (Tanner, Franklin) and Aunt (Tanner, Franklin (Mrs., Polly C.)) (Tanner, Polly C. (Mrs. Franklin Tanner)) ..
With
pleasure I take my pen to
answer your letter
which I
received a few days ago; I was
glad to hear that you were
well and getting along after
the old sort; I was sick with
the fever
when I received your
letter and have not got quite
well yet or I
should have
written to you before now;
its about one month since
I was taken sick I was
taken with a headache and
and in three days I could
not sit up or hardly raise
up my hands the Doctor
said that what was done
must be done quick and
he give me very powerfull (powerful)
medicine it run me down
pretty quick but it
checked the fever; one night
I thought things were all
up with me but the
fever turned dureing (during)
the night and in the
morning I was much
better and I have been
gaming ever since I
am a little weak yet
but I shall be all right
in a few day's again; but
I suppose you would like
to know what is a going
on down here well there's
nothing being done as
I see towards putting down
this rebelion (rebellion); the enemy's
cavalry are makeing (making)
dashes around us about
once a week; our regiment
has been called out in
the night and stood in
line of battle until morning
three or four times in
the last two weeks; but
no rebs did they see; but
if the roads keep drying
up as fast for a week to come
as they have for two day's
past I think that we shall
have the honor of
an acquaintance with
a few southern gentlemen
for I think that there
will soon be an awful
hard battle fought and
I think that it will
decide something about this
war; one thing I am quite
shure (sure) of that is if the
northern army gains the
the next heavey (heavy) battle that
is fought; I d'ont (don't) think that
there will ever be a draft
but if the rebels defeat
Hooker (Hooker, Joseph (General)) then I think that
that there will be a very
heavy draft; one thing
is shure (sure) there never
will be a peace declared
in the united States (United States of America) until
the rebels are made by
force to lay down their arms;
Sanitary Commission (United States Sanitary Commission).
Well Uncle Franklin (Tanner, Franklin) [I] [see?]
[by] [your] [letter] [that] [y(ou)?] [??]
[keep] [chief] [yet;] [I] [see]
very plai[nly] that [y(ou)?]
are bound to keep the
best horse that New York State (New York) contains and you
will just as long as you
own chief; you know that
I always said that he was
the best horse around them
parts especialy (especially) when I
owned him but I felt
bad when I traded him for
the bay horse but the
boat money was what
took me down I felt
miserable about the next
trade that we made well
I think I did;
you wrote that Jim Shean (Shean, Jim) had
bought Case (Case) farm well
I dont exactly like the farm
but I had rather have it than
to have just nine hundred
acres of the best land
that I have seen in
Verginia (Virginia) (Virginia) perhaps you will
think that I dont like
Verginia (Virginia) (Virginia) very well I like
the state well enough but
I cant say that I have any
particular desire to remain
here any longer than is
necessary and I hardly
think I shall: but I am
perfectly willing to stay
as long as needed and
then if uncle Sam is
sateslied (satisfied) I think with
out a doubt that I shall
be; you wrote that you
had got your orchard
cleard (cleared) up what for a time
did you have chopping them
dead trees it seems to me
that they must have been
a little taugh (tough); I s'pose
that you are beginning
to think about plowing
up there before long
well I would like to
have this war closed so
as to get up there in
time to help you
to harvest your crops next
fall; but none of us can
tell what will happen
between this and fall
I think that there will
be a great change in
many things by that
time and I hope that this
rebelion (rebellion) will suffer by
the change and I think
it will; I think that
General Hooker (Hooker, Joseph (General)) means
to put down this rebelion (rebellion)
at all events and I almost
think that he will succede (succeed)
he will fight as long
as he has any men left
you can be shure (sure) of that
and I think that the southern army
will lack men first
Sanitary Commission (United States Sanitary Commission).
Aunt Polley (Tanner, Franklin (Mrs., Polly C.)) (Tanner, Polly C. (Mrs. Franklin Tanner)) I dont know but
you will think that I forgot
one thing when I was
writeing (writing) this letter and that
is that I forgot to stop writeing (writing)
but I am thinking that
you will get this letter
about next saturday night
and you can read it sunday;
one thing I like to get long
letters for it seems while
I am reading them almost
as though I am having a
chat with the friend that
wrote it; and if you like long
letters as well as I do this
one will hardly be long
enough butI guess that
there will be about all
the nonsense in it you
will want to read at one
time; you wrote in a letter
sometime (some time) ago that while
you were writeing (writing) Uncle
Franklin (Tanner, Franklin) was getting supper
and that he set it down
and spot eat it up; I thought
that he would hardly eat
my supper if he had a
chance I have often thought
that if I had a good liveing (living)
as spot has that I could
get along tiptop well;
but I am in hopes that
this war will soon be
over and then us chaps
that get home will make
up for all this; I know
that I shall if I happen
to be one of the lucky
ones; well aunt Polly (Tanner, Franklin (Mrs., Polly C.)) (Tanner, Polly C. (Mrs. Franklin Tanner)) I want
you to ask uncle Franklin (Tanner, Franklin)
for me if he remembers
anything about that candle
that he burned in his
lantern about one year
ago it would be to (too) bad
to let him forget it; you
wrote about Ora [Cora?] (Ora [Cora?]) being
at your house; you wrote
that she looked a good deal
better with her new teeth;
I have always heard that
she was good looking and I
think that she must be
handsome indeed now;
you just get her to lead a
single life until I get back
from the war and then
who knows what will happen;
but I believe that
I have written nonsense
enough for one time so I
think that I will close you
wondered what I done with
my letters I have got nearly
a hundred in my pockets
and my knapsack I have burned
quite a number; but I
will close please write soon
and write all the news
so good bye for this time from your distant
friend Henry Welch (Welch, Henry)
Part: of 13 
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