My Dear Wife,
I seat myself this evening to drop you a few lines to inform you that I am well at present and hope that when this silent messinger of Love & affection reaches you, it may find you enjoying the same blessing of God. I will inform you that I just came in off of picket this evening & we have had a very bad time of it. The day we went out, it commenced raining, that was on Friday, & it rained on very fast until Saturday at noon.
Then it cleared off, but it was very wet, & dissagreeable under foot & this morning it commenced blowing & raining again. & we had a very bad time of coming in to camp. While we were out we had no shelter, only a few brush thrown up, well I guess you will think we suffered a good deal.
Well, not as much as you would think, it is true we got very wet & pretty cold, but that is nothing for us old soldiers, we are like old pine knots, but still we would like to take some of them Copperheads at home out on Picket just one trip as we have just been. I tell you they would twist as bad as real snakes. I suppose you sometimes think that when we have such hard times & such bad weather, that I wish myself at home or wish I had not enlisted again, if you think so, my love, you are mistaken, a good deal. Of course, it is hard to swallow sometimes but I think of the suffering of our old Revolutionary Soldiers. How much more they suffered for to establish a free Goverment for us, & I for one think that although we suffer much, We ought to bear it Patiently & do our duty Faithfully & cheerfully. I for one, am going to do all in my power, & if I had the opportunity as some have, I would do a great deal more.
Well, I this evening received a letter from George & one from Calvin & one from James Spence, George says they are all well. Calvin writes he is getting along swimming & working at his trade. Spence’s, they have had a great deal of trouble, they all have had a spell of the measles. But I was disappointed when I came off the picket & did not see My Favorite Letter. One that is always first with me & the most Precious, that is one from you, but I will have to content myself, by expecting one soon. I want you not to forget to write often. It is true it costs some but that is all the consolation we have at present, & we will not look at the trifling cost. Why My Dear wife, it matters not how much I am out of humour, if I get a letter from you, it makes me feel like a new man. You have no idea how much a soldier prizes Letters from home & especially when they are from Dear Friends, from those we love, above all others. A word of from a good & loving wife is of more value to us than greenbacks, so then My good wife, send on your good and long and loving letters & my most hearty thanks to you for all you send me. Our Boys are all pretty well. We like our new camp pretty well so far. Charles Walters’ wife died last Wednesday, his furlough has not been sent here yet, but is expected this evening yet. It is very hard for a man to be away from home when his wife is lying at the point of death. I pray God, it may never be our Lot, either of us to be situated in that way, but God only knows & whatever is His will, we will be resigned to. May we be enabled to say, Lord, Thy will be done, not mine.
There is very little news here at present. Nothing of importance, we get plenty to eat, & not so much to do yet. The weather will soon be more favorable & then we will have it easier in some respects & in others a good deal harder, but we will try to do our duty through hard as well as easy times. I want you to write to me often, & please send me some Postage Stamps, if you have any money to spare. If not I will try & get along as well as I can.
I expect to get some before long, how soon, I cannot tell. I have not saw General Grant yet, the old chap slides around so quietly that we cannot get to see him, he will be along sometime before long, I suppose, to see us & then I will give you a description of him. In fact I have not saw any of our new officers yet. They will make their appearance before long.
You will direct your letters, Jacob Bushey, Company G. 138th P.V. 2nd Brig. 3rd Div. 6th Corp. Washington, D.C. I will now close. I am still with Capt. Walter yet, expect to stay yet awhile. Write soon & let me here from you & May God Bless You & Keep you, is my prayer, & May we soon meet each other again, no more b--. Remain as ever, your affectionate husband, until Death.
Jacob Bushey
A sweet kiss for you
To Mrs. Lydia Bushey
Yours for ever
My love
Tell Mother I am well &
hearty & as Hungry as a
bear all the time.