Camp of Vt. 12th. Regt.Wolf Run Shoals Va.Feb 10th. 1863Dear Laura:

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Your letter of Jan'y 26th. is rec'd. I have intended to answer all your letters & all your questions. I have all the letters but one or two & all the questions that I could remember. I will look this letter thro' & answer seriatim.

You say you miss the paper. I suppose that there were papers & magazines enough came to me so that you need not miss the daily much. I am taking it here & it costs $8.00 a year $16.00 for the two. I thought you could get along better than I could. Please write me whether the N. Y. Times & the Burlington Times now reach you - & what other papers &c.

I have not seen Herrick for more than a month. He is promoted to the place of 1st. Lieut.

Mary says that she has not seen your braids of hair. She did not open the ress you sent her as it came to her just as she was about to leave. She has forgotten what you

wrote but thinks that the braids were in the bundle, unless you sent them by Mrs. Hammond. She says they are safe. Write what you want done with them & when she goes to Boston she will see to them.

When you want to write to Mary direct to me. When she is not with me I can send them to her. She is now with me & has been for a fortnight. We are very comfortable. Finished my fireplaces yesterday, but it smokes today. It is now very pleasant weather & pretty good traveling. We are expecting to move soon, tho' we may not. Our pickets across the river met the rebel pickets - so they are feeling about.

Col. Andross wrote me that he saw Col. Kent who used to live at Wells River. Col. Kent said that he saw Cy at Corinth Miss. last summer. He looked well & prosperous. Was collecting among the soldiers. That is all I have heard of him.

Give my best regards to Mr. & Mrs. Strickland & Charlotte. Say to them that I am very much obliged to them for their kindness to you.

I wrote quite a letter to Charlie giving a map of our vicinity. You will perhaps look at it with some interest.

Sunday, Febt. 15th This letter as you will see was commenced several days ago. Since then Mary

& I have both been to Washington. We started from here Wednesday afternoon, the same day that I commenced this letter, & rode down to the Station in an ambulance. Mary can tell you better than I can how she enjoyed it. It was perfectly aweful. It is but six miles & we were three hours on the road. It rained & snowed & we were afraid we should have a stormy time. We stayed overnight with Mrs. Brownson wife of the Quarter Master, & took the cars at seven o'clk the next morning - reached Alexandria at eight - took the nine o'clk boat for Washington & the horse cars for the National which we reached a little past ten o'clk. We got a lunch & then went to the Capitol. Mary will have more time to write you about what we saw than I have. We remained at the Capitol till four & then went to dinner. In the evening went to hear Maggie Mitchell. The next day Mary was sick all day, so we kept quiet. Saturday morning we left Washington at nine o'clk & reached this place at about six. Mary rode half of the way in an ambulance & the rest of the way on horseback from the station.

I found your letter of Feb. 8th. on my return - In regard to the first part of your letter I have not time to answer it in full, even if I wished to - When a thing is past let it go. If Mary wrote that we were glad to see Mr. B. it was merely because

he was from Bradford & we were glad to see any one from there. We treated him well of course & he took tea with us in our mess. Men don't often make words with one another about personal matters. In regard to the Gazetteer I had rather pay you & Mary both what you think you have earned than hear anything more about it. My last letter to you will explain the whole - "Enough said about that shirt" -

MAC!!
him & cut his head off -

I hope the dog law will catch Mary says she is very much obliged to you for taking care of Mac & don't want his head cut off.

You may get some paper & paper the bed room. Get light colored with but little green in it. Don't have it charged to me. Take it out of that $3.00 if there is any left of I will send it to you. Mary says you may move her bedstead down stairs if you wish to. She hopes you have done it before you have the sewing society. It wont cost much to have the kitchen whitewashed & you better have it done. If Mr. C. wishes to have you take yourthe pay for the rent at Prichards you can do so if he cannot pay the money. Get the money if you can, if not get the am't turned on your acc't. The rent was to be the same as Mr. Allen paid. I think he paid $40.00 for three rooms. You can ask him. Mr. C. was to pay once in three months. One quarter is due & nearly two - I have sent $400. to Mr. Blodgett - $200 at a time. I have not yet heard from him but expect to hear soon. You need not say anything about the money to any one. I don't know how long we shall stay here but not long probably. Mary will remain a little while longer.

Yours affectionatelyRos -

P. S. Mary & I saw Herrick when we went to Washington. He was well but said you owed him one or two letters. Do you direct them aright? Lt. E. E. Herrick
15th. Regt. Vermont Vol.
Washington D. C.