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.
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| 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: p: d: |
| 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: p: d: |