Camp 2nd Mich,
Saturday, Sept. 20th. I862.
Dear Father and Mother: AS I am not other ways engaged for a short while and do not know of any better way to improve my time I will try and write a few limes to you.
We are all well as usual and I do not know why we should not be for all we have to do is to eat and sleep and that we see is well attended to. I eat two meals a day and I tell you (
It is like the twelve big ears of corn.) I have sweet potatoes and flour gravy which I think you would say is very good. After all you are used to eating on a good table and clean cloth and nice earthen dishes while we have to use our spider for our gravy dish and small round tins for plates. Tin cups for coffee cups. We have had, for the last few days, dried berries, cherries and apples, which were sent to the hospital. There being so much more than they could use they gave some to the men there. We stew and put our food
together and we can fix up quite a meal. We have all the clothes we want. Can get anything at any time but I
don't think I am any ahead of what is allowed which is forty dollars a year.
I have had only one overcoat and that was my State Coat. I threw it away the morning we left
Yorktown, the day of the battle of
Williamsburg. I shall draw one before long.
They for some reason have not paid us yet. It is now five months, amounting to sixty five dollars. If they would pay us the whole amount at once it would do us some good. Or the four months they are behind,
We are now camped near Fort Ward between Alexandria and the long bridge. We do not know how long we shall stay but I hope we will stay here for the rest of our time. At any rate I am tired of being on the tramp and where we are liable to be in a fight any day.
I am in hopes they will finish up the fighting before they can call us out.
We get some very good news from up the river and some very bad news in the loss of some of our officers.
We see our good old colonel, Maj. Gen. I. B. Richardson was wounded also Major Joseph
Hooker and some others.
I expect every day to hear of their drafting in Michigan and am anxious to hear the results.
I want them to draft some and others I hope will not be.
I suppose those worthy people that's opposed Mclelland are somewhat disappointed
to hear of his being restored to his command. I have no doubt some feel as bad as I did Just after we left the peninsula. I expected he would resign and would not have blamed him if he had for I knew his army was divided and I felt our best Gen. was lost, but he was not. You may be Sure the Army is all satisfied with him.
I hope these movements may wined up the war so I can once more return home to my dear friends and I know you expect me to be no worse than when I left and I will try not to
disappoint you. I will try to get my profile taken when I get my pay.
I don't get yours or fathers picture. Have you heard what regiment Ashley is in?
I will stop by bidding you all good bye.
My love to all
A. J. Juckett.
Please send some stamps.