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Acton Memorial Library |
Civil War Records of Levi H. Robbins
Letter dated June 3, 1861 from Levi Robbins,
to his mother Mrs. Benjamin Robbins
(Acton Memorial Library archives 2008.4.7 )
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Camp Relay, June the 3, 1861
My Dear Mother as I have not mu
ch to do I will write you a gain I have wrote
two since I have received any from you but I
suppose I have more time than you do. I went
to Boltamore yesterday morning with the Capt
we went down to carry down some things to the
camp we did not stop long only a bout an hour
the Regi come home last night but three
corp have to start a gain to go up to annopo
lis junction to gard the rail road track thay had
not been gorn long before thay sent back for three
days rations so I suppose thay will stay three days
and then three more corp will go. I suppose
I saw Still Harris and Simon Conant yester
day thay are in for three years in the Mass 11
Regi a nother Regi had gest gorn through here. I
have not learnd what state it was from we have a pretty
good time but most of them are anchious to get home
I have been to Boltamore twice the man we work
for has a train of cars of his own so we dont have
any thing to pay I am in hope to get a letter
from before I send this I went out for a walk yes
terday to se what I could I killed a bird with a stone
[p.2]
and brought it up to camp dressed it and cooked it
and eat it not because I was a hungry but but I it
was some thing new we lived pretty well when the
corp was in Boltomore we had a chicken and toast
and all we wanted I got a letter from Moses Tolman
this morning he wrote me a bout Silas Conant
what a time thay had with him I dont know when
we shall come home the 8 Regi went of[f] this morn
ing I dont know where thay are goin but I guess
to Boltomore so we are a lone on the hill it was
so cold this morning that we had to wear our over
coats but it geting warmer now after noon
we have been out to a target shooting we go every
day I am in hopes to get a letter from you yet to
night then I will send this I have got your letter
I know you must have got two letters from me
now thay say that there is no cherries in Mass
at all I wish you had some of these out here if you
will come out here I will get a pass and go out
with you and we can get as many as we can carry
there is a lot of trees all a long beside the
road gest as full as they can stick[?] some treese will
black and some red with tell Charley that strawberry
are all gorn bout here long a go they have new pota
toes out here now there is a band here to night
thay say that thay are goin to stop here and go home
with us you must remember that I write a longer
[p.3]
letter and I wrote more letters I dont know but
I write more than you want to read. I hope that
Susie will stay untill I come home how much
money will Henry say he could pay this summer
I want to go to work on it when I get home
so to get it done so to move into it as soon as
we can to morrow is the fourth. I shant be where
I was then. I was in Lowell with the corp but
if nothing happing we shall be there before long
it will seem quear to undress and go to bed in
a house and not have to get up and have to
go on gard or some other place. I have learnt
more in this three months than in any other
time that I went to school. I have learnt some
things that I shall remember as long as I live
I shall loose money coming out here but no so
much as some of them I shall get 13 dollars per
month any way besides my clothes and he and
I get two $ dollars more than a privet I have
time a nough to write twenty letters a day but
I dont have a nough that is worth writeing. I will
lay this by untill morning perhaps something
will turn up before then I cannot send it untill
noon any way morning there was firing all the
time in the camp I dont know what more to write
I want to fill this full have you got any wood you
must get a long gest as well as you can untill I get
[p.4]
home then I will do gest as well as I can to get
things for you we shall start before long now
I expect they went to Boltomore and was gone most
a week thay layed out doors most a week then thay
mad a lot of boards[?] tents then thay had to come
home jest as quick as they got them done. I wish you
could see the cattle out here the oxen thay dont
work any did I write you about the bridge that
broke down the bridge down over the river and we
go to the Relay when thay was driveing 25 head of
cattle over it it broke down in to the river on
to a lot of rocks and three of them got there legs broke
so thay had to dress them in the river in the rocks
with some boards[?] thay was our cattle. I cant think
of any more to write ask Charley if he should
be most large a nough to rais the colt when
I get back does he go down to Mr Ballards any
let Charley write to me Love and respect
to all From Levi