My Darling wife,
It is Sunday and a fearful storm is raging. It commenced last evening to hail and snow and it is now raining very hard. I am well and fat as any hog and growing fat every day. I received a letter from you dated Feb. 11th, the day after you arrived home and have not heard from you since. I had one from Julia the same time. My boxes have both come that you sent me. I got the last one yesterday. Everything was in good order except the bottle of pickles, which was broken. Also, the bottle which had the applesauce in but nothing was lost. The first box was all right except the bottle of catsup that was broken and all of it lost. Some parts of the pies were moldy, but I didn’t have to throw away much. We have plenty to eat now since the schooner¹ arrived. We have potatoes, beets, turnips, carrots, onions, beef, leeks, beans, rice, white bread. So, you see we have enough to eat at last, and one of the prettiest places in the world to live. We have got new tents like those we had on Camp Stevens², only they are larger, and we are now quite comfortable. You wish to know if I drink. I have drank some whiskey three times since I have been out and that was dealt out to us because it was ordered by the General Commanding. You may rest assured that as far as drinking is concerned there is no person that drinks less than I do in the army and as far as morality, I know I am more steady every way than I was on the day I left Camp Irving³. You have inquired several times in your letter whether I wash me or not. I will tell you we wash ourselves every morning, face, neck and hands, black our boots clean our guns and brush our clothes. My clothes I wash and sometimes hire them washed when there is a good opportunity. We have to keep our clothes clean. I am cleaner today than I was when we left Rhode Island. I wish I could be at home with you and when I get to thinking about home it seems to me, I could fly almost. I want to hear from you every much before I send this letter so to know where to direct it and I don’t know as I should know where then, but I believe you were going back today, Monday, so I shall direct it to Providence. If I don’t hear from you I am willing you should go back to Providence if it will promote your happiness and perhaps you may be able to save a little something, and as far as I am concerned I can love you just as well there as at home and I suppose it seems more like home there to you than anywhere else, but there is no place so dear to me as the old house at home and that is why I would like to have you there, for there I should have all that I love in one place. You can’t imagine how dear home seems to me and I never fully realize what home was until I was placed where I had none to go to. We have had one month’s pay, but I shall not send any of it home as I sometimes want some to use and it will save the trouble of getting it from home, but I shall be as economical as possible. But I must close for this time. With a thousand wishes for your welfare, I remain your ever loving and affectionate husband.
Ezra B. Rounds.
Give my love to all
Footnotes
1- Newport News is on the James River, Virginia, which opens into the Chesapeake Bay, and has along history of shipbuilding. The deep water off Newport News was the site of many ship battles including the Monitor and the Merrimack. Delivering goods to the troops was best accomplished by ship even though the confederate navy patrolled the waters.
3- Camp Irving, possibly a Union Prison Camp
