MCWL_107: Camp Upton, Newport News VA, Dec. 13, 1863; George W. Gould to his brother

Camp Upton

Newport News V.A. Dec. 13^th, 1863

Dear Brother

having a few leisure moments spare and thinking you would like to hear from me it is so long since you have I thought I would try and write a few lines hoping they will find you all well as this leaves me

There is no news to write and I am at a loss what to say to you the fact that I write so often that my letters must consequently be rather dry some of them at least but no matter it takes up my time and keeps my mind dwelling on trouble as it otherwise would

I received a letter the other day from James any answer to one that I wrote him and was very glad to hear from them once more.

There I am stuck once more and don’t know how to proceed Oh I knew what to say now it is pretty cold here or we call it so it is so much colder here than it used to be in Newbern we have not had any snow here yet but water has frozen here some nights as thick as window glass but I suppose that is nothing to what you have at the North I suppose you have had skating there and perhaps sleighing.

Reenlisting is going on pretty briskly out here and great inducements are offered to those that reenlist and I don’t know but I should if it were not for my children but as it is I don’t think I shall.

I guess I will tell you how we live here we have little A tents as they are called about 10 [??] feet long and 8 feet wide with a stockade about three feet high then we have three bunks built, two large enough for two in each and the other just wide enough for one the two wide ones go cross way and the other runs length ways at the foot then we have a stove and wood in the other corner and we have a space in front of a foot and a half for five of us to get round in so you can see we have to be pretty good natured I forgot to mention five guns and equipments [sic] that takes a conspicuous place in front.

There is three of us writing to night one is out on guard and the other lays here asleep one of them has just sat down in a bottle of ink and tiped [sic] it over and got his seat slightly marked.

Well I reckon I have given you a right smart history of tonight and I think I had better wind off for this time I intend one of these times to tell you something of the people out here and their habits etc. but I cant tonight

There don’t you think I have made out pretty well considering I had nothing to write about but I must say good bye

Please give my love to Father and Mother and Brothers and Sister and receive a share yourself

From your Brother

Geo. W. Gould