The Civil War Letters Camp Hamilton January 17, 1862

Camp Hamilton Jany 17th 1862

My Dear Wife

i take this opportunity of writing to you to inform you that i am still enjoying good health and i hope these few lines will find you the same  i wrote a letter to you last Thursday in which i send you some money  but being that it is sunday i thought that i would spend a little time in writing to you  for it is the greatest pleasure that i have got to write and to receive letters from you

everything about here is quiet just now  last week the Burnside expedition was here for a couple of days  but they left last Sunday night

the steamer Pensacola is laying about 1/2 mile in the bay  i suppose that Thomas Turner is on board but they will not allow any of us to go on board nor let them come on shore  so we cannot get to see Tom though we are so near togeather. we have had very sever weather for this last two weeks  it has been snowing and Raining and freezing  and in the middle of the day it is up to the knees in mud and slush
and it makes camp life miserable  but we have to keep up our spirits by singing and cutting up high dutch and making all of the noise we can generaly  and i can tell you that we are a noisy crowd i can tell you  i have 14 men in my tent and when they are all in at night we have a high old time of it  i have all of the West Philadelphia boys in my tent and we stick pretty well together

i am sorry to say that one of our company died this week  it was Charley Thomas  a very nice young man  You might have seen him that time you came by to hestonville to see us drill  he was very well liked by all of the company and we are very sorry to loose him. i can tell you his Brother took his body home  he started in the steamer last night  so you see Poor Charley has got his long furlough from which he will never return

Dear Maggie  when you write let me know the news of the day and also let me know how you are getting along yourself in perticular

i have had very good health since i have been at Fortress Monroe but i am beginning to get tired of being in one place all of the time  i dont care how soon we make amove  we have a rumor that we will have to make a forward move to Norfolk but i dont think there is any truth in it
all we do here is to scout through the woods about hampton once in a while  but we have no fighting  it all ends in smoke

i must now close my letter  give my best respects to Sister Jane  your mother and all of the family

and with my most affectionate Love for you
i am Your loving Husband
William Lancaster

forever Yours
Wm Lancaster

Please do not forget to send me your likeness soon. i am sorry that i left the one behind which you gave me before i left home
Yours
W Lancaster

Wm Lancaster
Co E 11th Regt
Penna Cavalry
Fortress Monroe Va

Corperal Lancaster
Co E 11th Regt Penn Cavalry
Fortress Monroe

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