Transcribed and Contributed by Tom Busby
Great Great Grandson of V. W. Sargent, Company F.
NOTE: This is a partial letter. The top 1/3 of each page is missing. ???? denotes the missing areas. TB
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building winter quarters. We have got them finished. 4 log huts to the company, 10 of us in each shanty. We have got them all fixed off with bunks, table seats, fireplace and plenty to eat and I expect we will stay here all winter if we don't have to go reinforce Rosencrans. I hope that we will stay here now. We have got good quarters built. You said you wanted to know who our chaplain and coln was. Our chaplins name isBoardwell. Coln James Gilbert. Lieut Coln Jed Leake and we are in the 1st brigade comanded ???????
the weather is pretty cold here now but we let it come. We are here first. I have got in with a good squad. We are all good cooks and have plenty to cook as we have flour meal beaf pork beans rice sugar coffee tea and such. If we stay here this winter we can live pretty comferible nothing to do and the pay going on just the same and I think that we will all be home in the spring. Your last letter stated that you have got that $30 that I sent and I hope that it will do you some good. I have got????????????
Better if I thought that they would get through I would have you send me a pare of boots some socks and shirts. This letter sais that Darwin is ded. I expect that Eliza and the children feals verry bad. I thought that Darwin would make a good soldier and stand it well but there is no teling. A grate menny thought that I would not stand it but I have ben knocking about for a year now from the north almoe to the gulf of Mexico on land and water through mud and dust sometimes froze to deth ???????????
would like to know what they wanted with us out here in Ark. To be sure we do not do much good here. The citizens are forming horse squads here and I think that we will not have to stand picket after a while.
I will close now. Write often and write all the news. This is the third letter that I have wrote since I have ben here so I will remember it.
Give my respects to all. Good By for this time.
V.W. Sargent Co. F 27th regt