Editor’s Note: The Soldier Studies web site (http://www.soldierstudies.org) collects and publishes letters written during the Civil War. Owner/editor Chris Wehner was kind enough to grant me written permission to publish a selection of letters from his site which focus on the Siege of Petersburg. Look for letters to appear here during the 150th anniversary of the Siege of Petersburg and beyond. These letters may not be reused without the express written consent of Chris Wehner. All rights reserved.
Dear Brother
I now take up my pen to ans your very welcome letter that came to hand a little while ago it found me well & I hope when these few lines reaches you it will find you in the enjoyment of good health. I had ben looking for a letter from you for some time at last one came & I was glad to receive it they were $5 in it & 5 postage stamps you wanted to know if I had got those mittens I have I got them 3 or 4 days ago & they are just my fit & they came while I was out on pickets but they come good for me now for it is very cold without any here now we had about one inch of Snow fall here last night & some the night I was on picket but it is going off fast now as the sun shines very nice. We have moved into our new camp Since I wrote to you before we are only a little ways from the Jersulem Plank road we have got up a very good & comfortable Shanties here but how long we will stay here it is hard telling but we expect to stay here all winter. I suppose you had a great tie up there Christmas & new years I would like to have been there all we had to eat was a few hardtack & some codfish & not half enough at that we had coffee & sugar & that is all we don’t get near enough to eat now for they have cut down on our rations like everything but still we get along we had never ben pinched so for grub but once before that was last fall when we went to mine run we lived better on the campaign last summer than we do now we expect to get paid sometime this month but we may not but I hope so for we can by enough to live on if we have money I got your money this morning that you sent me & started right away & bought some flours it is done up in papers that weight for 5 to 6 pounds it cost me one dollar but enough of this you said that Abe bought that farm of Square for fifteen hundred dollars I hope he will do will off from it he ant to have a couple of boys to help him enough of this you spoke about trading off the old sorrel horse & getting a better one do as you are a mind to about it if you think you can get a better one I don’t care for my part I have no news to write this time so I will bring this to a close by sending my best respects to all enquiring friends keep a good share for yourself & write as soon a you get this excuse all poor writing & spelling this is from your Brother
Peter Lackner
Write soon as all of the news so good by for this time1
Source:
- Lackner, Peter. “Near the Jerusalem Plank Road.” Letter to “Dear Brother” 5 Jan. 1865. MS. Petersburg, Va. This letter appears here due to the express written consent of Chris Wehner, owner of SoldierStudies.org and may not be used without his permission. All rights reserved. ↩