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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| 1863-02-02.......describes train, shopping,conditions at general Hospital Acquia Creek, Tom, Lumbard 02-02-1863s.htm |   | m: g: |
| 1863-02-19.......Tom back, William Jones, Demming, Tom Gray, Sergeant school, her walking to school barefoot 02-19-1863s.htm |   | m: g: |
| 1863-03-04.......sending pipe, could sell for $10, they call him whittling yankee, earned 75 cents whittling, got gloves, Ed [Burbiege] Tom 03-04-1863s.htm |   | m: g: |
| 1863-04-13.......says Monday April with blank date, hopes children better, mud dried up, grass green, left in charge of Camp with Lieut Walker, foreign general, Tom discharged? 04-13-1863s.htm |   | m: g: |
| 1863-06-28DB.......Dear Brother, would have written if knew in Utica, does not write all hardships, discourages from enlisting, love to father and mother 06-28-1863DBs.htm |   | m: g: |
| 1863-09-08.......Lieut furlough, deserters to be shot, detached corps, Ben Chapman, Michael Keating, Phil Smith and Andy, Washington women, caught something, Tom, Sarah 09-08-1863s.htm |     | m: g: |
| 1863-11-20.......not getting her mail, she lost tooth and hair turns grey, hospital men furlough to vote, Culpeper, Rapidan, another Chancellorsville, no paper or sutler 11-20-1863s.htm |   | m: g: |
| 1864-02-20.......cold spell, daily routine described, breakfast, Charlie, Sarah, George Keiser, $1100 and 30 day furlough if 146 reenlist, sacrifice all life time for few days home 02-20-1864s.htm |   | m: g: |
| 1864-04-19.......sent to father for Clara, recd warrant, not sent for Navy exam, papers did not come, will try hard, preparing to move Fri, hurt finger playing ball,doctor excused 04-19-1864s.htm |   | m: g: |