Camped Near Pratts Landing Va Feb 24th 1863

Dear Father
	I rec. your kind letter of the 1st
inst. the 8th and was very happy to hear from
you and hear that you were all well. I shall
have no news to write at this time, for
there is none here, that that takes place
at other parts of the Country you hear
of before I do. Last Sunday we had the
severest Snow Storm that has taken place
since we have been in Va. There was nearly
a foot of Snow fell and it was cold
and windy, and it continues to be cold so
much so that the Snow melts scarsely any
which is seldom the case in this part of the
Country. Our Snow storms usualy end in
rain. When it does thaw this time it will 
be dreadful bad traveling, it is a poor sight
for the Armey of the Potomac to move for
some time to come. The Spirets of the Armey
under Hooker are improving daily, confidence
is being restored, and there is less fault
finding, as we get rid of fault finding
Generals, and have those put in their place
who have their Country; more than Self; or
any particular Friend. now what we want
is to have the free North united as one Man
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in sustaining the Adminestration in its efforts
to crush the Rebelion and then it will soon
be done otherwise it will not, for the
Division of the Northern People as manefested
at the presant time encourages the Rebeles
to hould out still longer leading them
to believe that they have the Sympathe of
and will have the Support of these
Factionests; these Factionests are being
cleaned out of the Armey, and I hope
you will clean them out in NH next
March. I think on the whole the
Prospects for the Spring Campaign look
favorable at this time; for our course,
God grant that we may be successfull,
and looking with confidence to our Friends
at home to crush Rebelion, Treason and
Secesh Sympathisers there in our, we
will press on more earnest to crush 
it out in our Front, as I said. I have 
no news to write as we never have while
in Camp all the time but as I said
the Spirets of the Armey improves dailey.
We have better rations than we have
had before since last winter. We get
Soft Bread most of the time, and we
also get Potatoes, onions and some other
luxurys occasionly. The 9th Armey Corps
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has gone to New Port News the 11th NH
Reg. belongs to that, the Reg. that Charles Paige
belongs to. I was up to see Charles a day or
to before he Started, he was in good
Spirets and was looking well, he did
not care much about going down that way,
if he had traveled over this part of
Va. as Much as I had he would of been
Glad to of gone most any where for a
change. I hope the whole Armey will
be down there and in Richmond by the
first of April. Perhaps it may be 
of benifit to you to know what Corps
and Division our Battery is in. We are in
the 1st Armey Corps 1st Division, the
Corps is Commanded by Major Gen Reynolds
and the Division by Brigade Gen Wadsworth,
our Capt. was wounded at Fredericksburg,
so Lieut. F M Edgel Commands it now.
I have rec. a Boston Dailey Journal
and the Indipendant Democrat from
you within a few day for which
I am very much obliged to you for.
They have fournished me with a good
deal of interesting news and reading matter.
We sometimes get a Dailey Paper here
but we have to pay 10 cts a piece for
them so we can not afford to buy many
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of them at that Price as long as we
do not get but 13 Dollars a Month.
The Dailey Papers that have had the
greatest circulation in the Armey
thus far is the N Y Herald and
World, two of the worst papers that
could be sent among us, for they
breath Sympathe for the Rebeles all
through, and say and do all they
can to breed discontent in the Armey.
I hear from Rachel once or twice
a week. She is well and so are the
Children. My Health is Excelent
and Spirets good, for all which I
feel very thankful to my Heavenly
Father. There is no news of importance
that I know of to write so I will
close. Write to me again soon, give
my Love to Mother and may God
bless you all is the Prayer of your
Affectionate Son
			T C Cheney