p5  
Now My Girl. you say in some of your letters that you think I am much discouraged I know that I have written in that mood. for I felt so. & I think I have had cause to. You are verry well aware that I enlisted from pure motives. with an honest desire to serve my Country with all my energy. I am sacrificing too much to be spending my time & energies in useless marches. & cruel & unnecessary Picket duty. I have stood Picket untill from 11,00 to 1,500 men & two canon when there was no enemy near. every other day & night. It took us about 30 hours to get the rounds & back to camp. without sleep or fire. I eat frozen victals when too tierd to stand or walk my lonely track (we had to go 2 hours) then we lay down on the frozen ground & roll up in a blanket. & almost freeze in 4 hours when we had to go again. our limbs benumbed with cold. O! I do not wish to think of it. You ask me whether I keep a Journal or not. for two months I have not for I could not think of any thing
