Stafford, Robert H. (fl. 1837-1866) to Ma
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02618.008 Author/Creator: Stafford, Robert H. (fl. 1837-1866) Place Written: Fairfax Station Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 20 September 1861 Pagination: 3 p. ; 25.5 x 20.5 cm. Order a Copy
describes the life of a soldier: sleeping in the rain, changing landscapes, the food, etc.
[draft excerpt]
"... We have fallen back to within 10 miles of Winchester but I cannot say how long we will remain here as we are constantly moving. It would not surprise me if we wintered about the Rappahannock ... I hope they are preparing to make peace, but I understand Lincoln has called for 4 hundred thousand more troops that does not indicate peace ...
"The Valley is a great country, the people here work to live, not live to work. it requires so much less work here for people to live well than ... in Ala. The poorest people here live as well as the aristocricy in our part of the world ... Well we are going to draw money at last but I dont know how much. I could get a substitute for 2500$ and in four months here sutlering could pay that amount and have one or two thousand over, but I dont think such as that would take well at home among my acquaintances. I expect to soldier it through the war if I can ..."
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