My Dear Wife,
I received your letter last evening about 8 o’clock and was glad to hear from you once more. We are here yet in the same place but how long we shall stay is not known to us but we shall probably stay two weeks at least and we may move sooner. We shall know when we start. I am as well as can be expected. We all have had coughs and no wonder with the accommodations that we have. I have but one shoe that is fit to wear and I don’t know when I shall get more. I traded boots before I left Camp Casey but the ones that I got hurt my feet so that I was obliged to sell them and wear shoes and before we crossed the Potomac I burned one of them so bad that it is almost gone. You speak of having a good time at Christmas. I am glad to hear that you did and I wish I could have been there. I don’t think I should tell you about our fare here. If I should write the true history of how we are living here you would feel very bad so I will drop the subject hoping that we may be better situated before long. I am very sad today. I have not felt so down hearted since I have been here as I do this morning. I wish I could have a box of good things to eat. It will seem good if I could have something to eat that is decent but it is impossible to get anything here without paying extravagant prices for it. I expect before this will have reached you, you have started a box of good things and I shall count the days and wait with pleasure for it to arrive for I think of it most all of the time. I went up to see Richard and Luther yesterday and I had a good feast. The only real good meal of victuals that I have had since I came here. They have some flour and fried some griddle cakes and I had all I wanted to eat and that was no small quantity but I don’t know when I shall have another good meal but I hope my box will come soon and then I shall live again but I must stop writing now and finish this afternoon.
We have just come in from grand review. I have seen today fifty thousand men and that is but a part of the army that is but a part of the army that is encamped around here. It has been raining but it has cleared away pleasant again. We have had but two snow storms since we have been in Virginia. One while we were at Camp Casey and the other while we were marching through Maryland. I great many are sick here. One died today and another is not expected to live. I am going to have flour. I expect it today but it rained so that Richard could not come down. He is going to get it for me and you can imagine how much I thought about it for I lay awake last night thinking about how good the griddle cakes would be that I should make out of it. I have got some shoes today and a woolen blanket so I shall be more comfortable than I have been. I am sitting here writing with my candle sticking in my bayonet. The mail leaves here about half past seven so I shall have to hurry or I shall not get this letter ready to send tonight. You want me to tell you about my acquaintances that I have since I have been out here. I see Bill Bennett about every day. His regiment is encamped right side of us. I have written a letter for him. You talk about scolding me for not writing oftener, I have written as many as I have received and you must consider that I haven’t as much time to write as you have but I want you to write often to me. You can write twice a week but you have not done so. I would be very glad to write oftener by my time is occupied so that I have but little time to write and I have to write a letter home every week an if you were there I should have more to write to you and could then write you two letters where I now I write one and it would save both time and expense but as I wrote before in a previous letter I don’t want to drive you back, I want you to enjoy yourself all you can but it would be more pleasant to have you at home but I don’t wish to be elfish so I will just let you do as you please for I love you to well to insist on anything that will cause you unhappiness for if you can be happy I am glad of it. I have not seen a place out here that I would exchange for the old house at home, neither have I seen a person that really enjoyed himself.
It is a slave’s life and I look for ward with as much pleasure as the negroes did for Lincoln’s Proclamation to go into effect, to the time when I shall be free, but I must hurry, or I shall not get my letter in tonight. I want you to send me some more money for we can manage to get a little meal and sometimes a little molasses and then we have some johnny cakes and molasses. All the soldiers think of here is to get something to eat and what we call good here you would not think was fit to eat at home. I have seen pies sold for seventy-five cents but little apple in them and dries apple at that. But when I get my box, I expect to get some that are right and then I will live high. I expected that you would write something about sending me a box but it seems you were silent on the subject for some reason or other. We have to do more drilling and guard duty than any other regiment here. I don’t know how it is but our company is the smallest company but anything is right in the army but there is a brighter day coming. A fearful responsibility rests on somebody, which I would not have on me for worlds. The men that have surged on this suicidal was I am thinking will not stand acquitted when the day of retribution cones. I would not have you think that I believe this rebellion is right, but I do believe that it might have been avoided but I must close my letter as it is about time for the mail to go. I hope I shall feel better when I write again so I can write you a better letter. Now write often and I will try to answer them. I send you about ten thousand kisses all the letter will hold. Give my love to all. From your ever loving and affectionate husband,
Ezra B Rounds.
