[Transcribed on 7/2/2022]
Camp of the 1st N.Y. Dragoons near Mitchels Station
January the 26th 1864 Dear Wife it is with pleasure that I seat myself to answer your letter of the 20th it found me well and my pults were reguler you asked me if I was not sorry that I inlisted I cannot say that I am but if I had
known then what I have learned cince probaly I should not have inlisted I came for the purpos of puting the rebellion down but I finde that the moste of Offisers came to fill their pockets and drink Whiskey and indulge in all other eavel habets. there is not one out of fifty of them from General down to Lieutenant but what will get Drunk as hogs [2]
the Drunkenness of offisers causes a great many soldiers to be killed in battle and deprives them of a great deal of rest in Camp which they aught to have but our regiment is not Cursed with the
worst of offisers the moste of our offisers are prety fine men Oh I like to forget to tell you about our winter quarters we have them prety near all don our regt is divided into five squadrons two companys each squadron builds their tents in a straite line
which makes five strate lines of tents or rather little log houses the roes of tents are about two rods apart the tents are seven by eleven feet set with the end toard
the street or space between the roes of tents and set just far enough apart to build a little chimney between them and the [3]
Doares are all in the west end the Chimneys in the
South side the bunks across the east ends one bunk above the other and from three to four in one tent there is only three in our tent Charles and myself and Alanson Crandall Charles and Crandall has the loer bunk I have the uper one to myself the roof of our house is made of shelter tents, we doe our oan Cooking in our tents but I am afraid that they will put in a Company Cook I can stumarch my oan dirt the best, the box that you sent has not cum through yet but there is no danger but what it will cum through all right if you directed it right Virnan has not got his yet it is not time for mine to cum through yet no more for this time D Hall
[4]
January the 27th 1864
the Paymaster has not came to our Regiment yet I hope that he will cum prety Soon so that I can send you sum more money I will send you sum as soon as I can get any to send there is about three Months pay my Due now but I cannot draw only two Months pay untill after I have been Mustered for four Months so you see that if htye pay me inside of next month that I will get only 26 Dollars and if it runs untill after we
are mustered again and our muster role sent in to Washington
we will Draw 52 Dollars good morning
Daniel Hall to
Mrs Catharine H Hall
