Letters: Walter Lea to Helen Lea, 1864

Baltimore Feb 1, 64

Dear Sister,

I did not get thy letter until day before yesterday and I just happened to get it then, I was up at cousin Jim's and Smith asked me if I had got my letters, and it had been laying there for two or three days, and I had been having small spazoms because I had not heard from thee,

I hope thee will not stay at thee cure any longer unless thee gets better room and lower down I guess if thee talks about leaving that they will soon find thee a better room. Please give my respects to Miss Lucy and tell her not to let the "Yanks" runover thee.

I have not heard any thing at all

about the Arago but I suppose thee will get a letter from Bill before long when thee does please write and let me know about him, Timothy sends his love and I expect Patty & her mother would if they knew I was writing.

Cousin Jim took Tom and myself down to the place friday evening and we came back yesterday evening we got six ducks yesterday morning. I think it is very fine sport shooting ducks but you have to be mighty quiet if you want to get a shot at them Cousin Jim got awful mad with Tom and me both for jumping up and skaring the ducks away before he could get a shot at them. I believe that is all I have to say at present please write soon and tell

me how thee likes the place and every thing about it.

with a great deal of love Walter

P. S. dont come away from N. York without going to Barnum's.

Camp Bradford sunday 3 P. M. 1864

Dear Sister, I received thy very acceptable letter yesterday afternoon. This is the second sunday I have spent in camp and but it will be the last one that I shall spend before the regiment is organised it is as bad as to be in prison to be situated as we are at present, we have no uniforms and of course the guards cant tell one from another and there are a good many conscripts and sub's in camp so they have to be pretty strict on us all.

Gen. Berry was out here this morning and reviewed the regt preparatory to the mustering which will come off tomorrow morning, our company is to be G. The Major commanding the camp here was looking at our company out on drill last evening and she sayes he has been very much pleased with the way we have conducted ourselves since we have been here, none of us have had to be put in the guard house or carry a log since we have been here, there is a man here who was a captain in the 8th Md who and is now a private in our company and a very nice man he sayes that

our company is the best looking one he has ever seen yet, and he has been in the regular service for two years so he must have seen a good many companys

I have thinking about the 2 M a good deal today and I was in hopes to have been there if we had been mustered in before this but it is all up now. we have 79 men in our company beside the 8 commissioned officers I have had very health since I have been here and have always been able to eat my allowance there are very few though that have not been sick. I should like to have some blackberry cordial very much though when you send me

that box which I hope will come pretty soon yous had better just send it to Balt' though and let me get it from there.

With love to all Thy brother Walter Lea