Part 8 of 25 in Civil War Letters of Algernon H. Scribner. The date below is the letter’s historical date; the article retains the collection’s publication date.
Letter transcription
Washington, Feby 14th 1863 Dear Father,
I received your letter last night dated Feb. 8th and was very glad to hear that you are well. I am well and lazy. I am busily engaged in making Bone Rings to pass away the time and learning to play by Note. Eliot is here and he shows me some. he makes out to know how to fiddle. he and Capt Doughty and Briggs the leader of the Band are playing all the time. i do not know hardly what to write there is no news of anny importance. the weather is warm and seems like Summer. I suppose you feel pretty big riding with your team what kind of a Sleigh have you got. I see by the papers that the Portland company call themselves the bullies of the 25th Maine and think that they are the best fighting Men Let them dip into Co C we can clean them out so quick that they would think that they were always Cleaned out. I hear great things about this Regt that they have got down front and that we have been in Battle I suppose you have herd of it I have got to go and Drill now and I will finish when I come back.
Your son Algernon H. Scribner
Saturday Feb. 63 I recd the few lines you wrote to me and was glad to hear that you was well and I hope you will get better I am well and right on my Fight It seems that you dont think much of my Picked Cap that is my night cap My shirt[s] are good them blue ones a wearing out round the risbonds [wristbands] my Army ones are good my stocks are all whole I guess they will last me if I do not have to march much i wear Green Boots on my feet i like them 1st rate. I have got me a new pair of Pants and they fit 1st strait we have not drilled anny for about a Month the mud is so deep that we cannot. Washington is about 4 miles from here we can look right down on to the Citty but it is no great [ ] of a city it is not half so pretty as Portland as for Albert Nutting we dont ask anny odds of him. I herd that Wm Holden and John Chute was coming out here i do not when how true it is we are going to [have] Beef Stake for dinner so I must dry up for it is about time to fall in for rations write soon send me some post stamps if you have anny to spare we have not been Paid off yet nor I do not know when we shall
Algernon Scribner Company C 25th Maine Arlington Hrights Va. P.S. The Small Pox and the Diptheria are rageing in the Regt
Source
Transcribed by Jean F. Hankins in 2011 for the Otisfield Historical Society, with permission of owner Hal Ferguson of Otisfield. Original spelling, uncertain readings, and editorial notes are retained.
Read the original transcription (PDF, starting on page 8).