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+----
+Letter from Oakley Smith to his brother
+Camp Wool Sept. 24/62
+Dear Brother
+Your joint
+and several letters came to hand
+day before yesterday & in order
+to secure another equally long
+and acceptable epistle, I hasten to
+answer it.  I thank you very
+much Henry for your promptness
+and also for stirring up the rest
+to write.  I will try to answer
+each in turn & think perhaps
+make out nearly as long as a document
+as yours.  In the first place we
+are just where we were a week ago
+and situated in every respect very
+much the same.  The boys are all
+having very good health, and
+are in fine spirits.  I assure
+you that - however much you
+at home may [...] your own
+safety & be troubled concerning
+our absence, that we do not get
+the amount of anxiety
+for ourselves.  A great many
+things in camp are calculated
+to keep up ones spirits.  In fact
+almost every day something or other
+amusing takes place.  The camp
+is perhaps a place of as much jollying as
+any, though too often there is
+too much wickedness and profanity
+mixed with it.  Our regiment
+is better in this respect than most
+of them are yet it is far from
+the standard of pure morality
+There is not as much swearing
+as there was a month ago & not near
+as much drunkenness for this
+there is severe punishment.
+In our tent we have very harmonious
+times. Perhaps with the exception
+of one we have as good a set of
+fellows in our tent as in
+any on the ground. It is now
+Wednesday evening if you should
+chance to make us a call & stick
+your head into our tent you would
+find us about as follows, beginning
+at the top.  Suspended on two sticks
+attached by ropes to the ridge pole
+of our tent hang our guns, at the
+rear end of our tent we have
+upright pole with tree limbs
+[...]  a few inches long on
+which are hung, coats, caps, and
+accoutrements,  at the height of three
+feet across this we have a board
+fixed for similar purposes.  The
+tent fronts to the south.  At the
+North end there we have our
+knapsacks &c. for pillows.  Our
+overcoats for a bed & blankets
+for covering rigs us
+for a sound sleep. At present
+Oscar is writing Brunnelle, Albert &
+Johnny Coleley are reading testaments
+& newspapers. Jo Fisk is down to
+the bridge & has been for several
+days.  Our furniture consists mainly
+of a plain board box two feet in length
+& 15 inches high and answer for
+table, bureau and writing desk besides
+having our corner for an ammunition
+box. For candlesticks we have bayonets
+for tumblers canteens & other thing in
+a style equally luxuriant.
+You wrote about David, if you
+will send me his address I will write
+to him.  I was afraid that in the late
+battles the boys might have been hurt.
+Write about all the boys you hear any
+thing from when you write again.  Thomas
+Turnbull, Martin Nichols, Ham Higby and
+others.  If you were here a month from
+now then you would have a good
+time gathering black walnuts and chestnuts.
+I have just been cracking a few.
+write often Henry whether you have
+much to write about or not.  I sent you my
+tuning fork which i did not want & [...]
+sends have you recd them. Good Bye Oakley
+The boys are all all very well
+Oakley M. Smith, 118th New York Infantry\\
+U. S. Army Heritage and Education Center
 ----

Howard County, MD in the Civil War

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