Location: Camp near
Date:
Has sever diarrhea and has lost a lot of weight as begins letter, but resumes writing on Monday March 2 and feels a little better. Demming was there the day before. Dave Reese saw Peter and hardly knew him. Hopes they don’t have to stay 3 years as Clarinda had mentioned, but says they will have to stay at least that long “if they mean to carry this thing through until they lick the south.”When they were on picket they captured rebel soldiers and they were better dressed than Peter’s regiment. He had “quite a Talk with them….they were Inteligent [sic] and talked fight right in your face while they are a prisoner they are grit to the Back Bone….and they said they would fight harder now since abe issued [sic] that procklamation [sic].” He is concerned that Julia is upset with him; she accused him of being too big to help Tom now that he is a sergeant and of not sharing his turkey and fair share of a box that Julia and Clarinda went halves on. Peter denies this and says he does all he can to help Tom. Asks how much mondy Clarinda got from “that ward” which Julia wrote to him about. Likes the neck tie Clarinda sent “first rate”. Best wishes to her and his little ones.