Medical concerns dominated Peter's letters. While he assured Clarinda that he had a strong constitution and could recover from the many illnesses and injuries he incurred, he also reported on deaths and injuries of other soldiers resulting from disease and battles.
Clarinda's older sister's husband Tom suffered greatly from a lingering illness. Peter ended up traveling to visit Tom in a Washington hospital. Peter also chronicled the death of a young tentmate from disease and of another soldier from a head wound at Chancellorsville. Peter wrote to one family, sending home personal items, and asked Clarinda to communicate with another family. He even noted certain soldiers by name who had frequented prostitutes in Washington and Alexandria and ended up with venereal disease.
He reported on receiving a vaccination to prevent small pox and whiskey and quinine to prevent yellow fever.
| B a t t l e s | T h e m e s | ||
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| 1862-11-30.......Camp at Fredericksburgh, her military clothes, his dream, Ida, Peace rumors, hopes to settle it 11-30-1862s.htm |   | m: d: p: |
| 1862-12-28.......many sick and dying, 9 officers reassigned, blames Capt Cone, guard duty, center position, unfit for duty, Fletch no letters in Utica from Regt since Fredericksburg 12-28-1862s.htm |   | m: d: p: |
| 1863-01-04.......Tom very sick, Jacob Breish coffin, Joseph Corrigan tent mate, Fletch separated 01-04-1863s.htm |   | m: d: p: |
| 1863-01-11.......guard Gen Warrens hq, daughter of the Regt 17th regulars chased by drunk soldiers, Burnside, Breish trinkets, resignations, all wish war over 01-11-1863s.htm |   | m: d: p: |