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 _____________________________________________ 2 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 _________________________________________ 3 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 _____________________________________________ 4 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