Camp Douglas Jany 18thDear Maria

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Again it is the Sabbath and again I will attempt to write you a few lines but as nothing has transpired worth telling of since I last wrote my letter will be short and uninteresting I recd your letter containing your and Fathers photographs a day or two since and think them both excelent and advise you to have some more of the same taken Every one I have showed them to think that Father is a very young looking man to be my Father and are astonished to hear that he is over 50 years old I will not tell you what they say about you for I fear it will make you feel proud. I dont know what is to be done with our Regiment yet as we have received no orders yet but I presume ere long we will be ordered East and if Senater Wilsons Bill passes will be consolidated with on e of the other Vt Regts. as our Reg. is quite small. There will be [sifting] of Officers and now Generally. over

It is thought by some that we will remain here until warm weather and perhaps as our folks have taken a good bit of Prisoners down in Ark. we will be kept here to guard them in case they are not parolled but what I want is to join the Vt Brigade imme- diately As I said before our Regt is very small and according to a general order issued by the Sect. of War the Regulars have a right to enlist from the vol servise 10 men from each Co. and they have already enlisted 15 from mine and Lieut Jewett is going down to the City to arrest the whole lot tomorrow as we have had no official notice of the enlistment. This gen order has caused a very hard feeling among volunteer officers and we got together yesterday and signed a document to be sent to congress setting forth the evils arising from the Order. it was signed by nearly every officer in camp and what will come out of it I cant say we are in hopes good but possibly we will all be dismissed the service but should it be so I should consider it an honor for no one knows how

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much trouble it has made us here and in fact we can have no dicipline as long as that contemptable order is in effect for if a man commits a crime he will hold out the threat that he will enlist in the Regulars if we punish him so in order keep our men together we have got to suffer almost any thing and I am just mad- and Col Audross has tendered his Resignation on account of it but I presume it will not be accepted I am yet on the Court Martial yet and as all the prisoners escaped last night it looks as though we would get through soon at any rate I hope so I am going down tomorrow to see if the Envelope has got along yet The Chaplains has come and he is quite confident of recovery. The 65th has not gone yet and this morning they recd orders to remain here till they got their arms and they are not all manufactured yet The weather is quite pleasant but we have a little snow not hardly enough for sleighing. Continue to write often and believe me your

Affectionate and devoted husband Val G B